If Only For Now
by Litta
Summary: Ashley Evans joins her siblings at East High and discovers just how much drama can happen in high school. ChadOC
1. Chapter 1

Ashley Evans went through her list one last time. She wanted to make sure she had absolutely everything before she left for school. Her brother, Ryan, had given her a list of the school supplies she would most likely need. Sharpay had taken her shopping to buy clothes for school. If this was going to be her first day at school, she didn't want to make a fool of herself. Normally on her first day of school she would wake up, eat breakfast, and start out the day with math in her pajamas. You see, Ashley Evans had been home schooled all her life.

She had finally convinced her parents to let her go to high school with Ryan and Sharpay. It had taken many months and many bribes, but they finally agreed that she could go to public school. Unfortunately, it was already the end of February. Her parents had shown her class work to the principal and he had told them she would have no problem starting late. In fact, she could be a senior if she wanted to because she had done all the state requirements through twelfth grade. But she wanted to be with people her age. Besides, it would be awkward to graduate before her older siblings. So here she was, packing up her backpack and checking her appearance in the mirror to get ready for her first day of high school. She had the Evans family blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and a skinny but decent looking figure with long legs toned by the dance lessons she had been forced to take with her siblings. Sharpay had advised her about what to wear for school. She picked out a plain blue tank top with lace around the bottom over a white tank of the same design, black pants, and black stylish boots.

"Ash, hurry up!" Ryan yelled up the stairs.

"Coming!" she yelled back down. Ryan was driving her to school. Sharpay never got up before seven, and Ashley wanted to get there early so she could find all her classes. She threw her hair up in a messy ponytail while she ran down the stairs and got in the car with Ryan.

"You ready for your first day?" he asked her.

"I think so. Are you sure I have everything I need?"

"You have that and more. You'll be fine. And I know you said you want to find your own group of friends to eat lunch with, but you can always come eat with Sharpay and me at lunch. Everyone is interested in meeting you. They always forget we have a younger sister."

"Only by one year!"

"Yeah, but that's still younger." She smiled, glad she had her brother and sister at school with her, just in case she needed them.

The rest of the car ride Ashley pestered Ryan with questions about East High. She asked about teachers, the clubs, and even though she'd heard about them many times before, she still asked about Ryan and Sharpay's new friends.

She loved to hear about how Troy, the basketball star, and Gabriella, the new girl, stole the lead parts of the musical from her siblings. No one had done that in so many years Ashley didn't think it was possible. She had gone to the show and wasn't surprised that Sharpay and Ryan didn't get the parts. Troy and Gabriella were amazing. That was the night she met the rest of their friends: Chad, Taylor, Zeke, Jason, and many others. She already knew Kelsi through the drama club.

They arrived at the school and Ryan showed Ashley where her classes were. They were all relatively easy to find. Ryan went to meet his friends in his homeroom, so Ashley went to her homeroom. She met her teacher and took her seat. The rest of the students began filing in a few minutes later.

Most of the classes she found easier than she expected. She thought some of the material would challenge her after being away from it for so long. Instead she found it easy and realized she was well ahead of her classmates. She decided not to draw attention to herself and pretended to be busy working until the end of class. Then she turned it in. She caught some of the names of her classmates but most ignored her and stayed with their own cliques. By the time lunch came around she was beginning to wonder if she'd made the right choice.

When the lunch bell rang she filed out with the rest of the students. In the cafeteria she immediately spotted her brother and sister with their friends. They were all talking and laughing with each other. She continued to scan the cafeteria for a group to sit with, but just like in her classes, her peers already had their groups formed. She knew her brother wouldn't mind her sitting with them, but she didn't want to look desperate in front of her sister, so she walked into the hallway and prepared to sit down and eat the lunch she brought with her from home.

"What are you doing?" Ashley looked up to find out who had asked the question. Standing above her and to the right was a boy she didn't recognize. He had short brown hair that fell into his eyes, a small silver hoop in the top of his right ear, blue jeans, brand name t-shirt, muscular arms, and a cocky grin on his face. But what really caught her attention were his eyes. They were dark green with flecks of brown, and a strange glint flashed across them whenever he blinked.

"What?" she asked back.

"I said what are you doing out here in the hallway?"

"Eating." She noticed the glint again.

"It looked like you were looking for a place to sit earlier. How about you give me that lunch of yours and you can sit with me and my group at lunch?" And there was the cocky grin.

"Then what would I eat?" He shrugged. She wondered what he would do if she said no. Then she wondered if maybe he was only asking this because he couldn't afford his own lunch. She decided one day without lunch wouldn't kill her. "Okay," she told him. He grabbed the bag of food from her and before she could get up he pulled her up roughly and dragged her over to his table.

"What's your name?" he asked her just before they got to the table.

"Ashley Evans."

"Guys, this is Ashley Evans. She's eating with us today." He introduced each of his friends sitting at the table and then finally himself. "My name's Dylan Gruel."

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"Who's your sister eating lunch with?" Troy Bolton asked the Evans twins.

"It looks like Dylan, the captain of the JV wrestling team," Sharpay answered.

"Why's she eating with him instead of us?" Chad Danforth asked. Sharpay only shrugged and the conversations resumed.

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After lunch ended, Ashley walked to her next class with Dylan because they had the same class. The classes in the second part of the day were as easy as the first. Once they were over Ashley stood outside by Ryan's car and waited. And waited. And waited. While she was waiting she saw Chad and Taylor walking towards her.

"ASHLEY!" Chad yelled. She didn't feel like yelling back across the parking lot, so she waited until they got closer before responding.

"What?"

"Ryan asked me to give you a ride home because the drama club's having a meeting after school about the musical or something."

"Okay." She followed Chad and Taylor, who was also getting a ride with Chad, to his car.

"Sorry about the mess," he pointed at the piles of trash and clothes covering the back seat. "I didn't clean it this weekend; too busy with homework and all." Taylor just rolled her eyes and Ashley chuckled silently. Chad knew the way to the Evans' house so Ashley hoped she could just sit in the back and avoid conversation. "So why were you eating with Dylan today?"

"He offered to let me eat lunch with him."

"Hmm. I never pictured him as much of a gentleman." Ashley shrugged, not sure what to say to that.

"So are your classes hard?" Taylor asked.

"No. I've already done all my work through twelfth grade so this is review."

"Wait, you mean you could be graduating right now?" Ashley nodded.

"Then why aren't you?!" Chad asked, unable to understand why someone would want to go to high school instead of graduate early.

"It would be weird to graduate before my older siblings."

"Oh, I guess it would be. So why did you decide to start high school now?" Ashley just shrugged again. Chad talked with Taylor the rest of the ride and Ashley said goodbye to them when they got to her house.

"Thanks for the ride."

"No problem." He drove off and Ashley walked into a silent house.

Her parents had left her a note on the table saying they had gone for a trip and would be back in a week. When they got back they would ask her about school. After a two-minute summary of how school was going her parents would say "That's nice honey" and get back to work. Ashley quickly finished her homework and decided to read until her brother and sister got home. They would actually want to hear about her first day of high school.

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"Ashley, how come you didn't eat with us today?" Sharpay asked. They were sitting in the kitchen at the counter.

"I wanted to find my own group of friends instead of just being with yours."

"But Dylan Gruel? How did you meet him?"

"He invited me to eat with him," Ashley said again. She wondered why everyone seemed so surprised that he would invite her to eat with him. She didn't actually tell anyone what really happened, but he _had_ come up to her. "What was the drama meeting about?"

Sharpay went into a long story of what Ms. Darbus talked about at the meeting. They discussed the success of the musical, the discovery of Troy and Gabriella, the plans for the spring production, and other stuff Ashley didn't really care about. She listened only to be polite to her sister. Sharpay had changed a little since she had been beaten by Gabriella, but she was still Sharpay and loved to talk about herself. When Sharpay finally stopped talking, Ryan stepped in to ask Ashley about her classes.

Ashley helped them with their homework as usual and then watched West Side Story with Ryan during dinner. She enjoyed watching old musicals with her brother. Sharpay was usually busy doing something in her room, so Ashley grew up spending time with Ryan. Her favorite was actually My Fair Lady, but she wouldn't make Ryan watch that.

That night she went to bed and dreamed about her next day at school, something she was actually looking forward to.


	2. Chapter 2

Ashley was late to school. Ryan left for school early but Ashley wasn't ready because she was still making her lunch. She got a ride with Sharpay, but Sharpay had Ms. Darbus for homeroom so she wasn't too worried about getting there on time. If she did get detention it always had to deal with the drama club so she didn't mind that much. Ashley did mind though.

"Miss Evans, do you think you have special privileges in this class for some reason or do you just find it more convenient for your schedule to come to class late?" the teacher asked her.

"Neither."

"Then you don't think you should receive special treatment?"

"No."

"Then you shall receive the same punishment as everyone else for being late to class. You will serve detention for thirty minutes after school. I believe Ms. Darbus is overseeing detentions today. You may take your seat now."

Ashley nodded and sank into her chair. She could hear people whispering about her and feel their stares on her back. Did they really think she thought she was better than them? She paid attention for the rest of class, taking extra notes to catch up on what she missed at the beginning of class. For the rest of her classes she avoided any attention from anyone, just wishing to avoid any more scenes.

For lunch she looked around the cafeteria and then headed to the hallway again.

"No one to eat lunch with again?" She looked up and saw Dylan leaning against the lockers, staring at her. She shook her head. "You can eat lunch with me again but it'll cost you your lunch."

"Okay." She handed over her lunch bag to him and walked back to his table. As she sat down she caught the glances of the people sitting at Sharpay and Ryan's table. She wondered why they were looking at her but figured Ryan would tell her after school.

"So how come you started school late?" Dylan asked her.

"I was home schooled and finally convinced my parents to let me go to public school."

"So, what, you taught yourself at home?"

"Pretty much."

"I guess that's cool. I'm the head of the wrestling team. You ever go to a wrestling match?" Ashley shook her head. "You should come. Our next match is tomorrow after school. You can be my personal cheerleader. What do you say?"

"Sure, I'll be there."

They talked for the rest of lunch, mostly Dylan talking about wrestling and Ashley listening to him. They walked to class and Dylan continued explaining all the rules about wrestling. They separated after class after Ashley promised she'd be at the match.

After school Ashley went to Ms. Darbus' room to find out where she was serving her detention. Inside the room she also found Chad. Before she had a chance to say hi Ms. Darbus directed them to the auditorium to clean the floors, seats, stage, or anything else she thought needed cleaning. When they were all working and Ms. Darbus was walking around, Chad walked over.

"I never pictured you getting detention," he whispered after Ms. Darbus walked by.

"Too bad I can't say the same for you," she whispered back. Chad feigned a hurt look. "What got you here?"

"The honorable judge Darbus caught me texting Taylor in class. What's your story?"

"I was late to my first class because I got a ride with Sharpay."

"I can't see you being late to class. You seem like the teacher's pet type."

"Well thank you for the assessment; I'll keep that in mind."

They worked together for the rest of their detention time and then Chad gave Ashley a ride home. When she walked in the door Ryan was the first one to greet her and ask her why she was in detention. After that story he asked her about the rest of her day. She told him about going to the wrestling match after school tomorrow and was glad when he didn't offer to give her a ride home afterwards. She was hoping to talk with Dylan afterwards since he seemed to be her first friend at school.

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"And East High wins!" Ashley jumped up and down, screaming along with the rest of the crowd gathered for the wrestling match. The team went to the locker room to shower and get changed. Everyone waited for them to come out again so they could congratulate the winners. Dylan made his way through the crowd to Ashley.

"Congratulations!" Ashley told him.

"Thanks. I'm glad you came. I was hoping I would see your pretty face in the stands, cheering me on." Ashley blushed slightly at the compliment. "So, you want to come to the after party?"

"I guess. Where is it?"

"It's at one of my teammates' house. He always holds an after party when we win. I can give you a ride home afterwards."

Ashley agreed and followed Dylan to his black Sebring parked in the parking lot. He opened the door for Ashley and she slid onto the black leather seat. Dylan started the car and music began pumping out of the radio, making any kind of conversation impossible. Ashley didn't care for the music but thought Dylan had the right to listen to whatever music he wanted in his own car. It only took about ten minutes to drive to the party, but that could have been because Dylan was driving fifteen miles over the speed limit.

Dylan introduced Ashley to his teammates and their dates. He showed her around the house and left her in the living room while he got them drinks. She wandered around a little bit, looking at various people, trying to recognize a face. No one said anything to her so she just waited for Dylan to come back. After almost a half hour he reappeared.

"Sorry that took so long," he told her as he handed her a glass of water.

"That's okay. What were you doing?"

"I was talking with some of my friends. They were all congratulating me on our big win today. They also told me that my date was pretty good looking too." Ashley blushed for the second time that day. "I think it's so cute when you blush like that." He put his arm around her shoulders and led her into the backyard. They sat on the glider and watched the sun set.

"I should probably be getting home soon," Ashley said finally. "I still have homework to do." Dylan nodded and pulled her through the house and back to his car. This time he turned the music off so she could give him directions to her house. He pulled up and turned towards her.

"Did you have fun?" he asked her. She nodded.

"Thank you for inviting me."

"No problem." He looked at her and smiled. Before she knew what was happening he was kissing her. He pulled back after a few minutes and smiled at her again. Ashley was too shocked to say anything. She just sat there and stared back at Dylan. "Is there a problem?" he finally asked.

"N-no," she stuttered. She smiled.

"Do you have plans this Friday night?" She shook her head. "Want to go out? I can pick you up around six."

"Okay."

"Great, see you at school tomorrow." He kissed her again and then let her get out of the car. Ashley waved as he drove off. Then she walked in the door and Ryan was standing there looking at her.

"Where were you?" he asked her. He didn't yell at her or appear angry, just concerned in a brotherly fashion.

"I went to the celebration party with Dylan. They won their wrestling match. I'm not late, am I?" She didn't have a curfew since she had never gone out before unless it was with Sharpay and Ryan, so she wasn't sure if her parents had suddenly assigned her one.

"No, I just wanted to know where you were. Did you have fun?"

"Yes," she said. She couldn't help but smile as she remembered the kiss. "I've got to go do my homework."

She went up to her room and shut the door. A giddy feeling overcame her as she realized she had had her fist kiss and been asked out on her first date.


	3. Chapter 3

Ashley ate lunch with Dylan on Thursday and Friday. Both days he ate her lunch. She didn't mind. She was too busy thinking about her date on Friday. When she got home from school on Friday Sharpay and Ryan sat her down on the couch and questioned her.

"You've been smiling non-stop ever since you got back from that party on Wednesday," Sharpay started. "What happened?"

"Dylan kissed me."

"WHAT?" Sharpay shrieked. Ashley winced at the sound.

"And he's picking me up at six tonight for a date."

"WHAT?!" This time Ryan joined Sharpay. "Why didn't you mention this earlier?" he asked her. "Don't you think you should tell your family when you get asked out?"

"Oh who cares about that now Ryan," Sharpay told him. "What are you planning on wearing?" Ashley shrugged. She didn't know yet.

Sharpay dragged her upstairs to her room and started going through Ashley's closet, trying to find a suitable outfit. While throwing clothes onto the bed she demanded that Ashley tell her everything that had happened with Dylan. Ashley told her all about the wrestling match, the party, and the ride home. She left out the part of giving Dylan her lunch.

A few years ago, when Sharpay was starting high school, Sharpay had gone out with a boy but dumped him when he called her fat. After that she stopped eating, thinking she needed to lose weight. Once Ryan and Ashley found out they got Sharpay help. Now she was fine, but Ashley was afraid that if she mentioned giving her lunch to Dylan Sharpay would think she was becoming anorexic.

Sharpay finally found an outfit for Ashley to wear, but Ashley knew she wouldn't wear it. Sharpay left so Ashley could change, but Ashley picked out a different outfit while she put her clothes back in her closet. Sharpay didn't seem to think it was as good as the outfit _she_ picked out, but she said it was acceptable. Before she could make any more suggestions the doorbell rang and Ryan opened the door.

"Hello Dylan," he said.

_Oh great, he's going to use the big brother act, _Ashley thought._ I better get Dylan out of here before Ryan sits him down and starts interrogating him._

"Where are you taking our sister?" Ryan asked.

"Well. . ." Dylan trailed off and didn't answer right away. Ashley decided to speak up and save Dylan from further questioning.

"We should get going Ryan," she said as she pulled Dylan out the door.

"Be back by 11!" he shouted after them. She waved and shut the door.

"So where are we going?" she asked Dylan once they had driven away from her house.

"It's a surprise." Ashley contented herself with talking to Dylan until he pulled in to a nice restaurant.

"Are we eating here?" she asked.

"Yes," he told her. "I wanted our first date to be special." Ashley smiled as he opened the door for her and led her into the restaurant. They were seated and Dylan told her to get whatever she wanted because he was paying. Once they had ordered Ashley noticed a familiar face sitting a few tables away. She was positive it was Chad and was proven correct when he got up and walked over to her table.

"Hey Chad," Ashley said.

"Hey Ashley, Dylan. What are you guys doing here?" Ashley would have smiled at his ignorance if she hadn't seen Dylan's face.

"Actually we're on a date."

"Oh, well don't let me interrupt." He smiled and walked back over to his table. Ashley noticed he was sitting with Taylor. She realized he was on a date as well.

"That was nice of him to say hi," she said to Dylan.

"No it wasn't. It was very rude of him. He saw that you were with me but he came over anyway. He should have known that we were on a date. Plus, he's on a date too but he left his girlfriend sitting by herself while he came over to say hi to you. He can be so oblivious sometimes." Ashley was surprised by Dylan's comments and the look on his face. He looked furious. She couldn't understand why he would get so upset about Chad coming over to say hi, but she decided to change the subject instead of making him angrier.

"So what are we doing after dinner?"

"If I told you it wouldn't be a surprise. You'll just have to wait until after dinner to find out where I'm taking you." He smiled at her and began eating the food that had just arrived.

They talked for the rest of the dinner about different stuff. He talked about wrestling and she explained to him what home schooling was like. He talked about classes and asked if she had made any more friends since she started school. She told him that she talked to a few people in her classes but mostly she just talked to him at lunch. He seemed happy about that.

After they had finished dinner they left the restaurant and began the drive to their next stop. Their conversation continued through the half-hour car ride. Eventually Dylan pulled into the parking lot and Ashley saw where he was taking her. He handed her a ticket and then led her to her seat to watch the play, _Les Miserables_.

"How did you know to take me to see _Les Miserables_?" she asked after it was over.

"I heard that liked musicals so I found out if any were in town and this was the only one with tickets still available. I'm glad you liked it. I wasn't sure."

"Are you kidding? I loved it!"

For the rest of the ride they talked about the musical. Dylan bought her the soundtrack so they played it while they talked. He asked questions about the storyline and she explained everything to him. She had read the book last year for home school English so she understood what was happening and what had been left out entirely. They stopped talking when they reached her house.

"Thank you so much. I had a great time tonight," she said.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself." He didn't say anything. Instead he leaned over and kissed her. She was enjoying the kiss and they continued for a few minutes, but when she realized he wasn't going to stop she pulled away from him. He looked irritated that she broke the kiss, but she told him she didn't want to be caught making out in front of her house. She said goodbye and walked inside her house. Ryan was sitting on the couch watching something on the TV. When he heard the door close he stood up and walked over to her.

"You're late." She looked at the clock and it read 11:30 p.m. "I told you to be back by eleven. What did you guys do that made you so late?"

"He took me to see _Les Miserables_ so it was a long drive back. I'm sorry I'm late. I didn't realize what time it was, but there was nothing I could do about it. There's no way we could have gotten back any earlier. It won't happen again." She hoped Ryan wouldn't be mad and get her in trouble with her parents.

"It's fine Ashley, I'm just making sure you're okay. You said he took you to _Les Miserables_, did you like it? I know you've wanted to see it ever since you read that book."

"Yeah, it was great. He even bought me the soundtrack so I can listen to it whenever I want. You can borrow it if you want. You'd love it." She handed him the CD case.

"Thanks. Why don't you go to bed before Sharpay comes down here, or else you know she'll make you tell her everything that happened."

Ashley nodded and went upstairs. She got into her pajamas and went to sleep, thinking about how great her first date turned out.


	4. Chapter 4

Ashley walked downstairs late Saturday morning to find Ryan and Sharpay in the kitchen looking in the refrigerator, something they never do. They were in such a deep conversation that neither noticed Ashley's appearance.

"What's going on?" she asked them.

"We're having our friends over and we're trying to decide what to serve them," Sharpay answered. "And why are you only now getting up? Aren't you usually the first one awake?" Then she got a look on her face as she remembered Ashley's date. "How was your date last night? When did you get home? You must have been home late if you slept in this morning. What did you do? Did Dylan–"

"I think you've asked enough questions Shar," Ryan interrupted. Sharpay made an indignant noise and stomped off to another room, making calls to their usual caterers about a party in the afternoon.

"Thanks Ryan."

"No prob. But she won't give up until she gets every last detail out of you, you know that, right?" Ashley nodded. She went back upstairs to get dressed and then went back down to help get things ready for the party.

Ashley was put in charge of cleaning the pool. Sharpay had taken over the phone to find a caterer that would get them the food the wanted on such short notice, and Ryan was busy making sure the staff was cleaning every inch of the inside of the house. Ashley had cleaned the pool before and enjoyed the solitude it provided from her siblings' voices.

She started thinking about Dylan and how he seemed so nice. He had behaved like a perfect gentleman, except for at dinner when Chad had interrupted them. His comments were so harsh that it had surprised her. She assumed he just didn't want anything to go wrong. And nothing had. The night had been perfect, except when he was kissing and looked angry when she pulled back. She was so immersed in her thoughts that she never heard anyone come up behind her.

"Ashley!" someone yelled right in her ear. It startled her so much that she fell into the now clean pool. She came back up and spotted Chad standing where she had been moments before. "I didn't mean to startle you. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, just wet." He smiled and held out his hand to pull her out of the pool. She smiled back as she grabbed his hand and pulled him in after her. "Now you know how it feels."

"No fair! I didn't mean for you to fall in the pool, it was an accident."

"So! I still ended up in the pool, didn't I?" She started to get out of the pool and realized that she and Chad had an audience.

"We heard you yell and came out just as you pulled Chad into the water," Ryan said. "Care to explain what happened?" He, like everyone else, had a huge grin on his face.

Chad jumped out of the pool and ran over to Taylor. Realizing he planned on giving her a hug to get her wet, she screamed and ran away. While he was chasing her Troy and Ryan pulled Ashley out of the pool. Gabriella handed her a towel from the table and Ashley hid her face in it to try to hide her blush. Chad stopped chasing Taylor after he finally got her wet and they walked back over.

"Since three of us are already wet why don't we all go swimming now," Chad suggested.

"We can throw the wet clothes in the dryer while we're swimming," Ryan offered. "That way you'll have dry clothes to change into."

So everyone changed into their bathing suits and got in the pool. Ashley ran up to her room to change into dry clothes. She had no intention of going back by the pool because she knew she would most likely get pulled under by Chad. Instead, she went to the kitchen to see how the food preparations were coming along.

The catering service provided workers so Ashley wasn't needed there. She could hear everyone laughing outside and thought it couldn't hurt to take a peek; but the minute she walked out the door she was spotted.

"Ashley, why aren't you in your bathing suit?" Gabriella asked. She and the Evans twins were the only ones to notice her.

"I'm not getting in the pool. I just thought I would see how everyone was doing out here. I think I'll go back inside now before anything happens." Before she could get back inside the door and pair of strong arms circled around her and began dragging her towards the pool. "Let me go!" she shouted. All she heard was Chad laughing. When they neared the pool she grabbed on to the table that was bolted to the ground. As much as he tried, Chad couldn't get her to let go of the table. Finally he called for back up.

"Troy, help me!" Ashley watched in horror as Troy got out of the pool and pried her hands off of the table one by one. When her hands were free, she tried to punch Chad behind her but couldn't see what she was doing, so it made no difference. She still ended up falling into the pool with Chad. Her only consolation was being able to kick his stomach when she kicked herself to the surface of the pool.

"Are you going to stay in the pool?" Chad asked. "Or do Troy and I need to hold you down again?" In a quick glance Ashley noticed that everyone was smiling. She fought down the urge to blush by becoming angry at Chad. She said nothing though. She swam to the edge of the pool and sat on one of the built-in benches, near the deep end.

The group went back to playing games in the pool. Ashley took part in some eventually, enjoying the chance to laugh at everyone. The last thing before they got out of the pool was have a giant water fight. Everyone splashed everyone, no one was safe. When they had thoroughly exhausted themselves they dried off and went inside to eat. Ashley went upstairs to change, again.

While they ate they talked and decided to put on a movie. No one could agree on anything, so in the end someone put in a classic, Aladdin. When it was finished, the group slowly trickled out. Ashley told Ryan and Sharpay that she would help clean up, knowing they would have asked her to anyway.

The rest of the weekend passed without incident. Ashley finished her make-up work quickly and helped her siblings with theirs. Their parents came home Sunday evening, and as Ashley suspected, they asked her how school was going but stopped listening after she said it was fine. They went upstairs to go to bed and the rest of the Evans family did as well. Ashley was more excited about going to school the next day than Sharpay or Ryan because she was eager to see Dylan again.


	5. Chapter 5

Monday morning Ashley woke up and had an idea. She got ready quickly and made two lunches to bring to school. When lunch time came, she sat with Dylan and presented him with lunch. He began eating his lunch and Ashley pulled out the second one. She was ready to take the first bite when Dylan stopped her.

"Let me have that one," he told her. She looked over and saw that he had already inhaled the first lunch. "I didn't have time for breakfast this morning so I'm really hungry today." She shrugged and handed over her lunch.

"How was your weekend?" she asked him.

"It was fine. I worked on my car most of the time. I installed a new sound system. It makes the old one look like something from the stone ages." He went on to tell her about all the other modifications he was making on his car. Finally he asked how her weekend was.

"It was fine. My brother and sister had their friends over on Saturday and Chad Danforth threw me into the pool." She didn't mention her parents getting home on Sunday evening because that was normal for her.

"I'm sure he loved that," Dylan muttered just loud enough for Ashley to hear but not loud enough to hear what he said.

"What did you say?" she asked.

"Why did Chad throw you in the pool?" he asked her with a bitter tone.

"I didn't want to get in so he and Troy Bolton threw me in. Does that bother you?" She was confused by the tone in his voice.

"Never mind." They continued talking until the end of lunch. Then they went to class and Ashley thought about their conversation throughout the rest of the day. When she got home Dylan left her mind and was replaced by homework.

On Tuesday Ashley brought Dylan a lunch twice the size of the normal lunch she brought and a smaller one for her. He took her lunch as well, telling her he needed it for a snack later in the day. On Wednesday Ashley brought two lunches again, but this time asked Dylan why he always took everything she brought.

"It's because I know you can afford to bring me lunch. I can't afford my own lunch and we don't have the extra food for me to bring one."

"But why can't I have one when I bring two?" Dylan looked hurt by her question.

"You can have your lunch," he said quietly. "I'll be fine if I go without one today." Ashley felt bad for him. He obviously was in need of food, and he was right, she did have the food to spare. She could always eat after school.

"No, you can have the lunches. I don't need them." She handed him both lunches and he smiled.

"Thanks." He ate one lunch and put the other in his bag to eat later. "I have a wrestling match after school. Want to come again? It'll be just like last time. After we win we'll go over to Josh's house and have a party. I'll give you a ride home."

"Sounds fun."

For the rest of the day Ashley wondered it Dylan would ask her out on another date. He certainly seemed interested in her, but she was in no way an expert on this subject. So after school she showed up for the wrestling match and cheered on Dylan when it was his turn on the mat. As before, he beat his opponent quickly. East High won again and the celebration party was guaranteed.

"Did you enjoy the match?" Dylan asked her during the drive to the party.

"I did. I've never watched wrestling before but I enjoy it now."

"I'm glad." For the remainder of the ride Dylan told her all about his new radio and turned it on to give her a demonstration. He turned it up all the way, deafening Ashley, but she said nothing so she wouldn't offend him.

When they got to the party Ashley recognized a few faces. While Dylan again left her to get them drinks she was able to have a few conversations with people. They asked her if she and Dylan were dating and she said that they had only been on one date so far. That seemed to surprise most of the people she talked to, but she thought nothing of it. When Dylan still hadn't returned after half an hour she went to the backyard in search of him. She found him talking with some of his friends. He noticed her and called her over.

"Sorry about the wait. I got caught up in the conversation I guess. Here's your drink." He smiled as her handed her the glass. She thought she saw a strange look in his eyes, but when she looked again it was gone.

"What is it?" she asked him, referring to the drink. It wasn't water, so she wanted to know what it was before she drank it.

"It's punch. The bowl's on the kitchen counter. I hope that's okay." She nodded and took a sip. It tasted funny to her, but after another sip she got used to it. Dylan smiled and went inside with her.

They talked to different people and Dylan tried to include her in some conversations. When she had finished her glass of punch she went to get a refill. Dylan told her that he would get her one and brought her back a glass of water. He told her he didn't want her getting dehydrated with the house so hot. She thanked him for his thoughtfulness.

Not long after that Dylan took her home. She said she had a headache and thought it best if she left. He agreed. The ride home was silent. Ashley didn't feel up to talking. At her house Dylan kissed her again and said goodbye. When she stepped out of the car she felt a little dizzy, but made it to the front door. She waved goodbye as Dylan drove off and then walked into her house.

"It's about time you got home," she heard Ryan say. "I thought you said you'd be home early to do homework, but it's already. . ." Ryan paused when he came around the corner and looked at her. Sharpay was right behind him.

"Ashley are you okay?" Sharpay asked. "You look flushed."

"I just have a headache," Ashley mumbled. "I'm going to go do my homework," she told them. They watched as she stumbled up the steps and closed her door.

"That was odd," Ryan commented.

"I agree. There was definitely something wrong with her."

"I know this sounds strange, but it almost seemed like she was drunk."

Sharpay didn't know what to say to that. They couldn't do anything now so they decided to wait until morning and see how things turned out.

---------

Ashley felt sick. No, she felt worse than sick. She felt like she had a hangover, and she had only read about them. She'd never had a sip of alcohol in her life, but she was beginning to wonder if there had been some in the punch at the party. Spiked punch wasn't a new idea to her, she'd heard of things like that happening. Ryan told her about the punch at the school dance being spiked and people getting drunk. It was possible.

"Ashley?" She groaned as her door creaked open. "Are you feeling okay?" Ryan asked her. He was always the one to check on her if there was something wrong.

"Fine," she said after a minute.

"It's almost time to leave for school, so I suggest you get up if you're going." He closed the door behind him as he left.

Ashley looked at the clock and realized she had exactly 15 minutes to get ready if she wanted to go to school with Ryan. Otherwise she would have to go with Sharpay and get there late again. She rolled out of bed and stayed there while a wave of dizziness passed. She was thankful that she had taken a shower the night before, although it didn't wake her up as she had hoped. She threw on the first clean shirt and pair of pants that she found and threw her hair up in a messy bun. She slowly climbed down the stairs and met Ryan at the door.

"Where's your backpack?" he asked her. She groaned as she realized she'd left it up in her room. "Wait here, I'll go get it." He quickly ran up the stairs to her room and came back down with her bag in tow. "Okay, let's go. There's a cup of coffee waiting for you in the car." She hadn't had coffee in a while, so she drank it all and savored the flavor. She hoped it would wake her up.

In her classes Ashley couldn't help but hate everyone in the class. They were all awake and listening to the teacher. Most of them were anyway. The teacher seemed to be yelling everything but no one else appeared to notice. Only she thought that everyone was talking too loud. When lunch time came she gave Dylan his lunch and put her head on the table.

"Something wrong?" Dylan asked her. He put his hand on her back to try and comfort her.

"I think there might have been alcohol in the punch last night," she mumbled from the table. "I also think I have a hangover because I have all the symptoms." She looked at Dylan to see what he would say.

"I'm really sorry. If I had known the punch was spiked I would never have given you any." He looked sincere enough, but Ashley caught that strange glint in his eyes again, the same one she saw when he handed her the glass of punch. "Do you want me to take you home?" he asked. She pushed her doubts away, assuring herself that they were misplaced.

"No. The day's almost over already. I can make it through." Dylan rubbed her back and let her rest for the remainder of lunch.

---------

"So you think someone slipped her alcohol at the party?" Chad asked Ryan, making sure he heard the guy right.

"Yes. I told you what she was like when she got home. Her words were slurred and she was really unsteady on her feet. She barely made it up the stairs to her room."

"Who do you think did it?" Troy asked.

"Who knows? There are lots of people at those wrestling parties. Any one of them could have put alcohol in the punch or something."

"Or maybe it was a certain someone," Chad muttered. He was staring at Dylan rubbing Ashley's back while her head was on the table.

"I've actually wondered if Dylan might have done it," Ryan said.

"Isn't he her boyfriend?" Gabriella asked.

"Not officially," Sharpay told her. "They've only been on one date, but as they've been spending all their time together at school, I'd say their probably close to being a couple." Ryan had to smile at Sharpay's quick assessment of their sister's relationship status.

"So why would he want to get her drunk?" Taylor asked.

No one said the first thing that came to everyone's mind.

"I'm sure it wasn't him," Gabriella said, ever the optimist. The conversation moved on, but Ryan and Chad couldn't help but be suspicious of Dylan. Neither could get the thought they'd had out of their heads. They knew that the only reason a guy would get a girl drunk is to rape her. They couldn't let that happen, so each silently decided to keep a close eye on Dylan.


	6. Chapter 6

Ashley was grateful when school was over, but disappointed when Ryan told her he and Sharpay had a drama meeting after school. She wanted to get home as soon as possible and sleep off the remnants of her hangover, though most of her symptoms had dissipated. Luckily, Chad offered to drive her home. She knew Ryan and Sharpay must have mentioned her condition to their table and wasn't looking forward to the questions she expected Chad to ask.

"How was the party last night?" Chad asked her.

"I'm sure Ryan told you all about it at lunch," she said.

"Yes he did. Do you know who got you drunk?"

"No, I don't. Why do you care?"

"Would you rather I didn't care?" he asked, surprised at her response.

". . . No."

The rest of the car ride was silent. She thanked him for the ride and got out of the car quickly. Once inside her house she locked herself in her room, finished her homework, and then slept through the day and night.

Thursday passed and Friday came. Ashley avoided her brother and sister and their friends, getting rides home with Dylan instead. During the ride on Friday he asked her out on another date. She accepted and tried to make him tell her where they were going, but all he would say was to wear dancing clothes. He dropped her off and promised to pick her up at seven. He also said he would get her home on time.

So Ashley went through her closet and found what she considered to be "dancing clothes." Her outfit included an off-the-shoulder blue satin shirt, black leather pants, and 3-inch black heels. She could only guess that he was taking her to some sort of club. But she had never been to a club, so she could only hope she chose the right outfit. While she was doing her homework another thought occurred to her: she didn't know how to dance!

The doorbell rang at quarter after seven. Ryan told her to give Dylan a hard time for being late, but Ashley just told him that Dylan would have a good excuse. She got into Dylan's car and after they left her house she asked him why he was late.

"I had to stop and put gas in my car. Sorry to have kept you waiting. If I had known you looked this good I would have gotten to your house quicker." Ashley blushed at his compliment. "Have you ever been to a club?" She shook her head. "I thought not. We're going to an underage club, so it's just for high school students like us. Unfortunately it's an hour away, so I thought we could listen to music to pass the time."

After an hour of listening to loud, obnoxious music, Ashley climbed out of the car and walked with Dylan to the door of the club. They showed their school IDs and were allowed in. The club was decorated in red and black. There was a "bar" for people to buy food and non-alcoholic drinks and the surrounding area had tables and booths for groups to sit at. The rest of the place was the dancing floor, accessible only by a small set of steps leading down into it. The floor consisted of black tiles and flashing lights hanging from the ceiling high above. Couples danced to the music pumping from the speakers next to the DJ's stage.

"You like it?" Dylan yelled over the music. Ashley only nodded, overwhelmed by the atmosphere of the club. "Come on, let's dance."

He led her down the steps and onto the dance floor. The space was filled with couples, everyone brushing against someone else due to the lack of elbow room. Dylan pulled her into the middle of the floor and started dancing. Ashley tried to copy the moves of the girls surrounding her. Eventually she got the hang of it and started moving to the rhythm of each song.

"You're really good," Ashley told Dylan over the music.

"You're not so bad yourself." He moved closer so their bodies were touching as they danced. Then his hand moved to her back and pulled her even closer. They danced this way for a few more songs and then finally left the dance floor to get some fresh air. "Want something to drink?"

"Just some water," she said. He left her for a few minutes and came back with two bottles of water. "Where did you learn to dance?"

"I learned by experimenting. I saw someone else and copied their moves; pretty much the same thing you did tonight. I take it that this was your first time dancing?" She nodded. "Well for a beginner you learned fast. I'm impressed." He took a drink from his water bottle. "Ready to dance some more?" Ashley finished her bottle and nodded.

They danced for most of the time. They only talked when they left the dance floor for air and water. Some time later, while they were dancing, Ashley looked at her watch the check the time. It was already eleven. She was going to be late, again.

"We have to go," she told Dylan. He nodded and they began the hour long drive back to her house.

"I'm sorry I didn't keep a closer eye on the time."

"It's not your fault. I had a really great time and I completely forgot to check my watch."

"So you had fun?" She nodded. "Good. Then I think it's time we made it official."

"Made what official?" Ashley asked, confused.

"You being my girlfriend. Everyone knows it's going to happen; they're just waiting for it. So I think it's time we end their wondering, don't you?"

"I guess, but we've only been on two dates."

"Are you saying you don't want to be my girlfriend?"

"No! It's just. . ."

"If you don't want to then just say so." Ashley looked at his face and saw that he looked hurt. She decided it couldn't hurt to become his girlfriend. He had acted like a gentleman every time he was with her; at least, most of the time.

"No, I want to be your girlfriend."

"Good."

For the rest of the ride they listened to music. Ashley thought she was very lucky to have Dylan for a boyfriend. Dylan was busy with his own thoughts. They arrived at her house minutes before midnight.

"Thanks for the date. I had a lot of fun." Dylan's response was a kiss. After several minutes Ashley broke it off. "I really should –" Her response was cut short by Dylan slapping her across the face.

"I'm sorry," he said immediately. Ashley was so shocked that she didn't say anything. "I was upset that you ended the kiss so soon. My anger got the better of me. I promise it won't happen again. Please don't tell anyone, I don't want them to think I'm abusive or anything. Please?" He looked pleadingly at her. Ashley only nodded and got out of the car.

Dylan drove off before she reached the front door. She touched her cheek. It still stung a little, but she didn't think it would be very noticeable. She hoped it would be easy to hide. Just in case someone did notice it, she came up with a lie before walking in the door.

"Where have you been!" Ryan yelled at her. "You're over an hour late!"

"We lost track of time at the club, which is an hour away. That's why I'm so late. I'm sorry." Ryan seemed to calm down a bit, but then he noticed her cheek.

"Why is your cheek all red?" He didn't wait for her to answer but went straight to accusation. "Did Dylan hit you? If he did I swear I'll break every bone in his body." Ashley interrupted him before he could threaten Dylan further.

"Dylan didn't hit me Ryan. When I got out of his car I lost my balance because of these heels and hit the side of the door." She thought it seemed plausible enough. For all he knew she really _could_ have tripped in her shoes, though she was actually quite confident in heels.

"Oh." He still seemed suspicious, but she figured it would pass by morning.

"I'm sorry you had to wait up for me for so long. In case you care to know I had a good time with my _boyfriend_."

Before Ryan could react to that word she raced up the stairs and locked herself in her bedroom. She heard Ryan go into his own room, and then she sat on her bed thinking about Dylan slapping her. She pushed away her doubts and assured herself that he was telling the truth about never hitting her again. Repeating those thoughts to herself she put on her pajamas and went to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Monday morning Ashley met Dylan outside her first class. He apologized again for hitting her Friday night and to prove his sincerity he gave her a gift. Resting inside the box lay a necklace: a silver chain with a moon-shaped pendant. She believed that he was truly sorry and accepted his apology. He gave her a long kiss before heading off for his own class.

"Are you dating Dylan Gruel, captain of the JV wrestling team?" one of Ashley's classmates asked her.

"Yes. He's my boyfriend," she said. While the girls in her class whispered about the newest couple, Ashley wore her new necklace and thought of Dylan.

By lunchtime the news had spread throughout the entire school. Before Ashley reached Dylan's table Ryan told her that he wanted her to sit at his table today because his friends wanted to talk to her. She agreed, but gave Dylan his lunch first.

"Hey Ashley," Chad greeted her. Everyone else voiced their hellos. "I hear you and Dylan are a couple now."

"Yeah, we are."

"I think that's sweet," Gabriella said.

"Thanks."

"Where's your lunch?" Chad asked. Ashley scolded herself inwardly. She had forgotten that giving her lunch to Dylan would leave her without one in front of her siblings and their friends. She quickly came up with a cover story.

"I forgot to bring one today," she said calmly. She was thankful Ryan hadn't seen her make one in the morning.

"You forgot to make one?" Ryan asked her, surprised. She rarely forgot anything.

"Do you want some money to get something?" Chad asked.

Ashley was silent. She didn't know what to say. She didn't want to take anyone's money or food, nor did she want to miss this chance to eat lunch without feeling guilty because of Dylan. Going without lunch wasn't hard anymore, so she decided to just go without lunch.

"It's okay. I'll be fine without lunch."

"Surely you're hungry though," Taylor said.

"It's not a big deal." Ashley was afraid they wouldn't give up.

"You can have some of my lunch," Chad told her. He handed her half of his sandwich, his cup of applesauce, and a spoon. That left him with half a sandwich, a handful of carrot sticks, and some cookies that Zeke brought. She tried to say no, but he had already given her the food. Inside she was thrilled to eat something for lunch, but she hated that it had to come from Chad.

"Thank you," she told Chad.

Once Ashley had lunch the conversation moved on. Most of the people got involved in a discussion about the Sadie Hawkins Dance coming up. Ashley and Chad got into their own conversation regarding the importance of homework.

"I'm just saying that for a basketball player I don't need to be the smartest guy on campus," Chad told Ashley. "I only need to keep a certain grade point average in college to keep any scholarships or to stay on the basketball team. So if I don't do every assignment, it's not the end of the world."

"That may be, but what if you don't make the basketball team?" Chad looked confused. The thought of not making the basketball team had never occurred to him. "I know that you're counting on making the team, but if you don't, you'll have to do something else. And if you don't pay attention and learn other things in high school, how do you plan to succeed in college? You won't have any of the foundational knowledge professors will expect you to know. Homework is one way of gaining that knowledge."

"You just said that it's only one way, so therefore there are other ways besides homework. I'll just take a different route."

"Not doing homework is not an option," Ashley told him. "Paying attention in class isn't enough to cement the information in your memory. You need to study it, and apply it; otherwise you won't remember it for college, let alone the next test in your class."

"So I'll hire a tutor."

"You really think you can afford a tutor? Even if you get someone to help you in high school, like Taylor, that doesn't mean you'll have the same options in college. Other people are busy and your professors have other students that need help just like you. Plus, unless you get a job, which I doubt if you make the basketball team, you won't have the money to pay a tutor."

"But I won't need a tutor if I make the basketball team because I won't have to worry about my studies."

"You're missing the point. Even if you make the college basketball team, what makes you think you'll make the professional level? The chances are slim to none. So you'll need a college degree to fall back on, and you'll have to keep up your grades and graduate to get that degree. Therefore, you need to pay attention in high school and do your homework; otherwise you'll end up a worthless bum living on the street begging people for food."

"Well get me a box then." Chad smiled. Before Ashley could give her response, the others at the table joined their conversation.

"What do you need a box for?" Troy asked.

"Ashley thinks I'll end up a worthless bum if I don't do my homework." Chad smiled and enjoyed Ashley's discomfort when she tried to defend herself.

"I only said that in reference to him not playing for a professional basketball team and having no college degree to fall back on due to his lack of work ethic," she sputtered out with everyone staring at her. They continued to stare at her until Chad broke the silence.

"So who's going to give me food when I'm on the street?" Everyone laughed and Ashley was grateful to him for breaking the awkward silence. The rest of lunch passed quickly. When the bell rang, Ryan suddenly remembered something important.

"I almost forgot," he told Ashley. "There are going to be drama club meetings after school every day from now until the spring musical. You can wait if you want, but I'd suggest you get a ride home since the meetings will be long."

"I can give her a ride home," Chad said.

"Thanks, but I'm sure Dylan will give me a ride home."

"Oh." Chad stopped smiling and walked Taylor to class.

Ryan was satisfied that Ashley would have a ride home and left for his class. Ashley found Dylan and together they walked to class. Just as she thought, Dylan agreed to give her a ride home until the meetings were over. After school, she met up with Dylan and they drove to her house.

"Did you have fun sitting with your friends?" he asked when they reached her house. His tone was bitter.

"Yes. I had an interesting conversation with Chad about homework and college. In the end we decided he would end up a bum on the street. He also gave me some of his lunch so I had something to eat."

"I want you to eat lunch with me tomorrow," he said.

"I'm planning on it."

"No, I want you to eat lunch with me every day." He grabbed her wrist so she couldn't get out of the car. "A good girlfriend would promise to eat lunch with her boyfriend every day." He was holding her wrist so tightly it was starting to hurt.

"Okay, if that's what you want. I'll eat lunch with you every day."

"Do you promise?"

"Yes!" He finally let go of her wrist and she massaged it. "I'll see you tomorrow." Before she could get out of the car he grabbed her and pulled her towards him to kiss her goodbye. Then he let her get out of the car.

She got into the house as quickly as she could. When she was in her room with the door closed, she looked at her wrist. There were already signs of a bruise forming. She dived into her homework to get her mind off of what happened. Ryan and Sharpay got home late, like they usually did when they were busy with a school production, so she didn't see them until the next day.

In the morning she saw the bruise circling her wrist. To hide it she put on a long-sleeved blouse and left with Ryan in the morning. At school Ryan invited her to eat lunch with them again, but she declined the offer and ate with Dylan. During lunch he made sure she was going to ask him to the Sadie Hawkins Dance that was coming up next week. Afraid to tell him no, she asked and he said yes.

Dylan gave her a ride home again, but luckily Ashley made it out of the car without another bruise. Ryan and Sharpay got home early, so they ate dinner with their parents for the first time in a few months.

"How's school going Ashley?" their mom asked.

"It's fine."

"Have you met any cute boys?"

"Oh she already has a boyfriend and they've been on two dates," Sharpay said.

"Really? When do I get to meet him?"

"I don't know. He's not ready to meet you yet; maybe later." She kept her eyes on her food and said no more during the meal. Ryan thought it was weird that Ashley wasn't telling their parents every little thing that had happened at school. Normally she loved any moment she got to talk with either parent. Now it seemed like all she wanted to do was get away. When dinner was over, he followed her to her room.

"Ash, are you okay?"

"I'm fine Ryan. Why do you ask?"

"You seemed distracted at dinner, like your thoughts were somewhere else. I just wondered if something was bothering you."

"Nope, I'm fine." Ryan nodded and noticed some discoloration on her wrist.

"What's that on your wrist?" He pulled back her sleeve and saw the bruise. "What is this from?"

"I tripped on the way up the stairs after school today and my wrist got caught in the railing."

"Oh. It looks like it hurts. Do you need anything?"

"No. I should get ready for bed though."

Ryan said goodnight and left her room. He thought about the bruise. It went around her entire wrist and he thought it looked like something that had happened before today, not from hitting the railing. Dylan came to mind, but he assumed Ashley would tell him if something was happening. She always told him everything. He decided she had to be telling the truth, but he was still concerned. He remembered what she told him about tripping and hitting her cheek after her last date with Dylan. _I hope she's telling me the truth, but I'm going to make a mental note of any more injuries she gets. If I think Dylan's abusing her. . ._ He didn't finish the thought. He completed his homework and then went to bed.


	8. Chapter 8

During lunch on Wednesday Ryan sat next to Chad so they could talk.

"You seem to have become a good friend of Ashley's," Ryan told Chad. "Actually, besides Dylan I think you're her only friend. That's why I want you to help me keep an eye on her. I'm starting to worry about her."

"Why are you worried about Ashley?" Chad asked, confused.

Ryan told Chad about Ashley's cheek after her date with Dylan and the bruise on her wrist. He voiced his fears that Dylan may be causing them, because Ashley had never been clumsy before and something like forgetting her lunch isn't in her nature. Chad agreed to keep an eye on the two. Ryan thanked him and they joined in the rest of the table's conversation.

---------

At the end of the week Ashley had two more bruises. One was on her cheek, making it much harder to hide, while the other was on her shin and easily concealed beneath her pants. On Wednesday she left the car before Dylan could kiss her, so Thursday he slapped her and told her he would tell her when she could leave the car. Then he slammed the door on her leg, saying he didn't realize it was there. It was at this point that Ashley began to wonder what she had gotten herself into. She avoided her siblings and their friends, but after school on Friday Dylan left without Ashley, so she was forced to ask Chad for a ride.

"What happened to your cheek?" Chad asked her on the ride home. Taylor had a scholastic decathlon meeting after school so it was just Ashley and Chad in the car. Realizing he didn't want to give her time to come up with an excuse, he asked his next question. "Ashley, Dylan's not beating you is he?" Ashley tried to appear offended.

"No! How could you think that?"

"It's just that you've gotten really clumsy in the past week. First the bruise around your wrist and now this. I just don't like seeing you hurt."

"How do you know about the bruise on my wrist?" She had been wearing long-sleeve shirts all week in an attempt to hide her bruise. So far no one but Ryan had seen it, or so she thought.

"Ryan told me at lunch the other day. He's worried about you too."

"I'm fine, just clumsy is all. Dylan's not beating me so you and Ryan can stop worrying." Chad sighed, hoping she was telling the truth. He would still keep an eye on her, but obviously if she was being abused she wasn't going to tell him anything. Figuring a change in subject would help, he asked her, "How are your classes going?"

"They're fine. How are things between you and Taylor? You two seem to be spending less time together."

"We're good. She's just busy with her decathlon team. Troy and Gabriella are in the same boat. But we still spend time together, especially on the weekend."

"Are you two going to the Sadie Hawkins Dance?"

"Yep; she asked me today and I said yes of course. I know Gabriella's going to ask Troy this weekend. He's sure to say yes. What about you? Are you going to ask Dylan?"

"Yes, I asked him a few days ago." There was silence after that, neither knowing what else to say. Finally Ashley thought of the perfect thing. "So have you picked out your street corner yet, bum?" Chad laughed and the conversation never stopped the rest of the ride. When he dropped her off her mom came out of the door and walked up to the car.

"Is this your boyfriend?" she asked. Ashley blushed and Chad chuckled nervously.

"No, Mom, this is my friend Chad Danforth. Chad, this is my mom."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Evans," Chad said politely.

"The pleasure is all mine. It's always nice to meet my children's friends. I'm sorry about the mistake. I still haven't met my daughter's boyfriend and was hoping this was my chance."

"It's not a problem Mrs. Evans. I was just giving Ashley a ride home because Ryan and Sharpay have a meeting after school."

"Oh, well, thank you. It was nice meeting you."

She said goodbye and left the two sitting in the car. Once Ashley's mother was inside the house both Chad and Ashley started laughing. When their laughter subsided, Ashley was the first to speak.

"I'm really sorry about that. I had no idea she was waiting for me to come home, expecting to meet Dylan."

"It's fine, Ashley. It was funny. I'll see you Monday."

"Alright, see you then. Thanks for the ride." She got out of the car and went into the house.

---------

During the following week Ashley spent all her time with Dylan. She ate lunch with him at school. They often went to his house after school and spent time together until evening; then he would drive her home. Because she was getting home so late, she went straight to her room to do homework and rarely saw her family. Ashley let him make all the decisions. She found it saved her from harm if she did whatever he told her. On Friday, she told him she had to stay after school to work on an English project, so Dylan left her there. It didn't take her very long to get her work done, so she was able to catch Chad before he left and get a ride home with him.

"I'm surprised I was able to catch you," she told him. "I figured you'd be the first one out of the parking lot."

"I would have been if I hadn't had to serve detention for Ms. Darbus. She caught me passing a note to Taylor so I had to stay after school and work on sets for the upcoming musical. I did get to listen to Troy and Gabriella practice singing together, so it wasn't totally unbearable."

"Oh, I'm sorry for your suffering," Ashley said sarcastically.

"Thanks. I can really feel your sympathy. Why were you still at school? Did Dylan forget to give you a ride home?"

"No, I had to work on an English project, but it didn't take as long as I thought it would."

"How are things going with you and Dylan?"

"They're good. He's taking me out to dinner before the dance tomorrow. Are Troy and Gabriella going to the dance together?"

"Yes. Gabriella asked Troy over the weekend and she called Taylor right away, who, in turn, called to tell me, but I already knew because Troy called me before she did. Taylor was disappointed that she didn't get to tell me. Everyone else found out on Monday at lunch. That reminds me, I heard Ryan mention that he hasn't seen much of you this week. Dylan's been driving you to and from school, and you get home late after school. Is that true?"

"Yeah, so?" Ashley had been hoping to avoid the subject of Dylan with Chad. The conversations never seemed to end well.

"Why are you spending so much time together?"

"Why are you and Taylor spending so little time together?" Ashley countered.

"Because she's busy with the decathlon. And I've told you that we spend time together on the weekend." He pulled up to her house.

"Thanks for the ride. See you tomorrow at the dance," she told him as she jumped out of the car.

Saturday afternoon Ashley started looking through her closet to find an outfit to wear to the dance. Not finding what she wanted she knocked on Sharpay's door in the hope of being able to borrow an outfit.

"Ashley? What do you need?"

"Would you mind if I looked through your clothes for an outfit to wear to the dance tonight? I can't seem to find the right clothes in my closet."

"Of course you can!"

She ushered Ashley into her room and began pulling her clothes out. First she started with dressy shirts of all different colors. When she found a few possibilities she moved on to pants and skirts. Some were black, a few were white, and others were colors. Lastly, she pulled out a few of the dresses she had that would fit the occasion. Putting everything on her bed, she let Ashley have a look. After going through everything, and even looking at some of the things left in the closet Ashley picked out a simple, dark green dress. It had a halter neckline, with a slit that began at the neckline and ended just above the bust line. The dress was more form fitting at the top and flared slightly at the bottom, which was around mid-thigh. For the accessories she wore a pair of black hoop earrings and a thick black bracelet to hide her bruise. She also wore the same black heels she wore to the club. When Dylan picked her up to take her to dinner, he whistled when she opened the door.

"You look hot," he said. She blushed and got in the car with him.

"Where are we going for dinner?"

"You'll see," was all he said.

They talked and listened to music until they pulled into the restaurant parking lot. She smiled when she realized it was the same restaurant he had taken her to on their first date. This time no one interrupted them. They enjoyed themselves and left in time to get to the dance when it started. They started dancing right away. After a few songs Dylan left to get them drinks. While they were separated Dylan met up with Chad.

"Having fun Dylan?" Chad asked.

"Yes, and yourself?" Dylan asked back politely.

"Yep. So have you noticed how clumsy Ashley's been lately?"

"No. She hasn't been clumsy around me. Are you sure you know what you're talking about?"

"I think I do. I just thought you should know that there are people keeping an eye on her other than you." Chad faked a smile and left carrying two glasses of punch back to Taylor. Dylan glared at him.

"What took you so long?" Ashley asked as she took her punch.

"I had a little chat with your friend Chad. He said something interesting to me. He told me you were getting clumsy. Why would he say that?" Ashley shrugged her shoulders. Dylan stopped smiling and dropped the pretense. "Have you been telling people anything?"

"No," Ashley said quickly.

Dylan said no more and they started dancing again. Later on in the night Dylan had to go to the bathroom and Ashley ventured over to the refreshment table. While she was getting a drink she bumped into Chad.

"Having a good night?" she asked him.

"Yes. I haven't danced very many dances because Taylor unfortunately sprained her ankle on her heels. But we're still having fun. Troy and Gabriella still haven't arrived, so we'll give them a hard time when they get here. Are you having fun with Dylan?" Ashley nodded.

"He's been the perfect gentleman. He's in the bathroom right now so I thought I'd take the moment to get something to eat."

As they were talking a slow song began playing. Ashley looked around for Dylan but he appeared to still be in the bathroom. She followed Chad back over to Taylor, preferring to stand with friends rather than by herself.

"Taylor, would you mind if I danced this dance with Ashley? Her date seems to have gone missing."

"No, that's fine. It's not like I can dance with this ankle, anyway."

Ashley tried to protest, but Chad had already grabbed her hand and pulled her onto the dance floor. They talked while they danced the entire slow song. At the end they separated and then noticed Dylan walking up.

"Thanks for the dance Chad. I better go." Chad nodded and Ashley walked over to Dylan.

"We're leaving," he told her.

Without waiting for a reply, he grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the gym. He threw her in the car and started driving her home. They rode in silence for the first half of the ride. Ashley was too scared to risk a conversation. Dylan finally spoke a few minutes before they reached her house.

"You seem to be spending a lot of time with Chad lately. First you get a ride home with him yesterday even though I was waiting for you and then you dance with him tonight instead of waiting for me, your _boyfriend_. Also, you seem to be telling him lies about me so he confronts me at the dance tonight. Maybe you're trying to tell me that you'd rather be dating him instead of me!" By this time they had parked in front of her house.

"No! I didn't know you were waiting for me on Friday; otherwise I would have gone with you. I haven't been telling him anything, I promise. I wouldn't–" She was cut off by Dylan slapping her across the face. Her head whipped around. When she looked back he punched her in the face.

"You are not allowed to tell anyone anything, do you hear me?" he yelled at her. She nodded her head. "I don't want you spending anymore time with your friends, especially Chad. If I find out you're telling lies about me, you'll regret it. Do you understand?" She nodded again. He shoved her out of the car and drove off.

Ashley walked into her house and up to the bathroom. Looking in the mirror she saw that her lip was bleeding where Dylan had slapped her. She quickly stopped the bleeding and cleaned it up. With that done she got into her pajamas and went to bed.

The next morning Ashley got up and looked in the mirror. The cut on her lip had swollen slightly and she had a black eye. She groaned. It was going to be difficult to hide these injuries. She put make-up on to cover up as much as she could, and stayed in her room for the rest of the day.


	9. Chapter 9

Monday morning Ashley got up and covered her injuries as well as she could. The black eye was still visible, but it didn't look as bad as without the make-up. While waiting for Dylan to pick her up, she made his lunch. When Sharpay was leaving and Dylan still hadn't shown up, Ashley decided to get a ride with her sister. She figured she could talk with Dylan at lunch about why he was late.

Throughout her classes Ashley could feel the eyes of her peers on her. They were wondering what happened to her eye. It was understandable. If someone she knew arrived at school with a black eye she would wonder where it came from too. She just wished it wasn't her.

At lunch, Ashley looked for Dylan. He wasn't at their usual table, or at any other table she could see. He wasn't in the hallway, but she didn't really expect to see him there. She didn't feel like sitting at the table without Dylan because she didn't actually know any of his friends. All she knew were names, and she didn't even know all of those. So with no other options, she sat down at her siblings' table.

"Hi Ashley. Why aren't you sitting with Dylan?" Sharpay asked.

"He's not here today." Ashley sat in the only spot available, between her brother and Chad. She pulled out the lunch she made for Dylan and looked at it for a few minutes. It was weird to eat lunch. She had grown accustomed to giving her lunch to Dylan.

"Are you just going to stare at your lunch or are you going to eat it?" Chad asked her, pulling her from her thoughts.

"Why? Are you so hungry that you also need to eat my lunch to fill you up?" Ashley enjoyed poking fun at Chad. But when she turned towards him to tease him, she saw his face change as he looked at her eye.

"What happened to your eye?" he asked, all other thoughts gone.

"I fell off my bed Sunday morning and hit it on the bed post," Ashley said quietly. She decided to eat her lunch. If she were eating, she couldn't answer questions.

"Uh-huh." She knew Chad didn't believe her, but she couldn't have him causing problems with Dylan if she told him the truth. "You and Dylan left the dance early on Saturday. How come?"

Ashley shrugged. She had her mouth full of food and knew it was rude to speak with your mouth full. She also didn't want to answer any more of Chad's questions. Thankfully, Troy got Chad involved in a basketball conversation, and Ashley was left in peace. She didn't talk during the rest of lunch. She was content to listen to the others' conversations. When the lunch bell rang, Ashley was one of the first ones up and walking to class. Chad followed her.

"Ashley!" he yelled down the hall. She turned towards him. "Do you really expect me to believe you gave yourself a black eye by falling out of bed?"

"If you don't want to believe me then that's up to you, but I answered your question. I told you how I got it. Now, if you don't mind, I need to get to class." Before she could leave Chad said something else.

"Just know that if you ever need a friend I'm here." He headed off to his class after that.

Ashley was surprised by his last sentence. It seemed out of character for him. She supposed he was only trying to help. If she suspected Chad or another one of her friends was being abused, she would probably be doing the same thing.

The remainder of her classes went by fast. After school, remembering Dylan wasn't around to give her a ride home, she asked Ryan how long their rehearsal was. He told her that it would be long because the show was being performed at the end of the week. She resigned herself to walking home.

While she walked she thought about her relationship with Dylan. _Why am I dating him if he's such a jerk? He's given me numerous injuries, insulted me, and stolen my lunch ever since I started school, so why am I still with him? Am I happy with him? When he's not mean, he _is_ a really nice guy. He's sweet, considerate, but jealous; although he only seems to get jealous when I talk to Chad. I know he's the one that gave me the spiked punch at the wrestling party. I just don't know why. He does something but then always apologizes for it. If he doesn't care about me, why does he do that?_ She had only gone a few blocks from the school when Chad pulled up next to her in his car.

"Need a ride?" Ashley nodded and got in.

"Where's Taylor?"

"Decathlon meeting again. Why are you walking home? Doesn't Dylan usually take you home?"

"He does, but he wasn't at school today. Remember, I ate lunch with you today? I forgot about the drama meetings after school, so I figured I would just walk home."

"And you didn't think to ask me for a ride?"

"You were already gone." Ashley didn't actually know if Chad had already left when she started walking, but she didn't want to find him and ask in case Dylan found out. She knew he'd be mad if she spent any time with Chad. "Do you have any plans for spring break?"

"Not yet. I'm going to see the musical. Are you? You must be. You probably see all the school productions because of your siblings."

"Actually, I don't know if I'm seeing the play or not." Chad was surprised and asked why. "I don't know if Dylan wants to see it."

"So if Dylan doesn't want to see it you won't see it?" She could tell by his tone that he didn't approve of her reasoning. "That seems a bit . . . controlling to me. Shouldn't you be able to do whatever you want, with or without Dylan?"

"Chad, if Dylan wants to do something else I may want to spend time with him instead of seeing another East High production. He is my boyfriend after all. He's not controlling me. He just likes to spend time with me." They pulled up to her house, but Chad wasn't done yet.

"Do you hear what you're saying? You're defending him! If you have to defend him to yourself there's something wrong. Ryan says that when he actually gets to see you, you don't even seem happy. Why are you dating this guy?"

"Look, I _am_ happy. If you don't believe me, that's your problem, but don't insult my boyfriend."

She got out of the car and slammed the door in Chad's face. When she was in the house she heard Chad drive away. Then she went upstairs to her room. Both parents were out, meaning she had the house to herself. Instead of doing her homework right away, she decided to watch My Fair Lady until Sharpay and Ryan got home. When she heard them drive up, she went to her room and did her homework.

---------

Dylan picked her up for school the next day, but because his radio was on full blast they didn't talk. At lunch he only talked to his friends. After school Ashley went to Dylan's house like normal. They were sitting on the floor in his room when they actually spoke to each other. The conversation she'd had with Chad was still on her mind, so she asked Dylan if he wanted to see the play with her on Saturday.

"I can't. I meant to tell you yesterday but I never made it to school so I didn't get the chance. I'm going to Cancun for spring break, and I leave Friday. Once I bring you home from school, I leave."

"Oh. How much of spring break will you be gone for?" Secretly, Ashley was happy that she would be away from Dylan for all of spring break.

"All of it. I'll be back for the first day of school. What did you do for lunch yesterday?" Ashley knew this would cause problems, but she couldn't outright lie to him, so she told the truth.

"I ate with my brother and sister and their friends."

"Did you have fun talking with Chad?" he asked bitterly.

"Chad wasn't at lunch," she lied. "I only talked with Ryan."

"Really? That's not what my friends told me. They said you sat next to Chad and got a ride with him after school. Did you think I wouldn't know if you were lying to me? My friends tell me everything, and I had them keep an eye on you so I would know what you were doing while I was gone. Don't ever lie to me again, do you understand?" He yelled the last sentence at her.

While he was talking Dylan had pinned her to the floor. Ashley could tell by the look in his eyes that he was furious. He slapped her across the face and asked her if she would ever lie to him again. Ashley shook her head. Not satisfied by her answer, he began punching her in the stomach. When he was through with that put his knee on her stomach and forced all of his weight on that leg. Then he asked her again if she would even lie to him. She forced out the word "no" for an answer and he lifted his knee off of her.

"I think it's time you went home," he told her. "I'm sure you've got homework to do." He dragged her to his car and threw her inside.

The ride to her house was silent. She held her stomach, thankful at least that she wouldn't have to worry about hiding the bruises. When he pulled up to her house she saw her mom waiting at the door. Ashley jumped out of the car and Dylan drove off before her mom could walk over.

"Why didn't you tell him to stay?" her mom asked. "You know I've been waiting to meet him."

"He had wrestling practice to go to," Ashley lied quickly.

"Oh, well you tell him that when he brings you home next time I want to meet him."

Ashley didn't bother to tell her mom that she was never going to meet Dylan. Ashley was sure he would be a perfect gentleman and do everything to please her parents. She just didn't want her parents to say anything that would make Dylan mad and hit her later for it.

Her mom left for an appointment at a day spa. Ashley went upstairs to do her homework. When she finished, she made a quick dinner and ate in her room. Sharpay and Ryan got home late from drama rehearsal and didn't bother Ashley, something else she was thankful for. She just hoped the bruises wouldn't hurt too much in the morning. The last thing she needed was to give Ryan another excuse to talk to Chad, or for Chad to talk to Dylan.

_Just get through this week and then you'll have all of spring break to yourself,_ she told herself. She went to sleep with that thought in her head.


	10. Chapter 10

Wednesday morning was rough. Ashley's stomach was sore because of the bruises from Dylan. A hot shower helped make some of the pain fade. She tried to move normally, but a little slower than normal. Ryan didn't seem to notice anything wrong when she walked into the kitchen to make her breakfast.

"How was rehearsal?" Ashley asked.

"It was fine. I think we'll be ready for our first performance on Friday night. Most of the costumes and props are finished, but there are still a few things that need some work. Are you coming to see it, or does Dylan have something else planned?"

"No, I'm coming to the Saturday performance. Dylan's leaving for Cancun on Friday and he'll be gone all of spring break."

"I'm glad you can see the show. Oh, has mom told you that she's going with Dad on one of his business trips? From the look on your face, I'm assuming not. They're leaving Thursday, and get back on Monday when school starts again, the week after spring break. I think they're going to Europe again, but I'm not sure."

"So are you and Sharpay going to have a party like you did last time mom and dad were gone?"

"Probably. Do you mind?" Ashley shook her head.

"No, I'm used to it. Who all are you going to invite?" She finished packing the lunch and the two continued their conversation on the way to school.

"Troy, Chad, Gabriella, Taylor . . . ." Ryan listed off the rest of the group that sat together at lunch. Ashley listened, enjoying the thought that she could hang out with everyone over spring break, and Dylan wouldn't know.

At school, Ashley dreaded lunch. She wasn't sure if Dylan would still be mad at her. When she sat down at the lunch table, he ate her lunch without saying a word. They walked to class together silently and after school Dylan took her straight home instead of taking her to his house as usual. The same thing happened on Thursday. On Friday he was still silent but did take her to his house. When they were in his room Ashley finally spoke.

"Are you mad at me? You haven't said a word to me since Tuesday."

"Of course I'm not mad at you, why would you think that?" His voice practically dripped with sarcasm. She decided to proceed with caution.

"Now I know you're mad. Is it still about Chad?"

"Yes," his voice dropping to an angry tone. "Whenever you aren't with me you always seem to be around Chad, and I'm beginning to think you'd rather be dating him than me so you're flirting with him. He doesn't seem to mind either because he's been spending a lot less time with Taylor because of you. So I want to explain to you very clearly what I expect from you as my girlfriend. You aren't allowed to spend any time with any other men besides me or your brother. You are to eat at my table during lunch every day, even when I'm not there. If you don't I'll have to assume you're spending time with Chad." He paused and seemed to be thinking of something else to say. Ashley took the chance to interrupt.

"What makes you think you can tell me what to do? Just because you're my boyfriend doesn't mean you get to run my life. You know what, I'm glad you're going to Mexico for spring break. I think you need the time to reorganize your priorities."

Ashley didn't wait for a response. Instead she quickly walked out the door and ran home as fast as she could. She knew her house was empty because her siblings were at school preparing for the show and her parents left for Europe on Thursday. She did all of her homework for spring break for two hours, and then got ready to see the show at school.

Ashley arrived just before the start of the show, and found a seat in the back row. Troy and Gabriella got the lead parts again, meaning Sharpay and Ryan had slightly less important roles. She enjoyed watching them support the lead actors instead of being the ones supported. During the intermission she got up to stretch her legs. In the lobby she ran into Chad and Taylor.

"Hey," Chad said before excusing himself to the bathroom. Taylor mimicked the greeting.

"Hi. Liking the show so far?"

"Yes, but I think Chad was dozing through part of it," Taylor said.

"That's just sad. I guess some people don't appreciate the fine arts."

"A tragedy indeed," Taylor said. "How are things with Dylan?"

"They're okay. We had a talk today that he'll hopefully think about over spring break. What about you? How are things going with you and Chad?"

"Not so good. I'm busy with the decathlon meetings, and I try to make time for Chad, but he seems to be growing distant. I'm beginning to wonder if he doesn't like how much of my time the decathlon takes. I'm not sure if we're going to last." Ashley felt bad for Taylor.

"I'm sure if you just talk with Chad and tell him how you feel he'll understand. He's a really great guy and I'm sure you two can find a way to work things out."

The conversation moved on after that. When Chad came back from the bathroom he invited Ashley to sit with him and Taylor. Ashley accepted, glad to be out of the back row. She enjoyed the remained of the performance. After it was over she went backstage and congratulated her siblings on their performance. She also praised Troy and Gabriella for their performances as well.

She went home with her siblings and they talked most of the night. They went to sleep around four in the morning. Ashley didn't fall asleep right away, thoughts of Dylan running through her head. What was he doing in Cancun? Would he do anything illegal? Would he think about what she said? Would they break up when he got back? Ashley eventually fell asleep, finally dwelling on the thought that she would enjoy her spring break and deal with Dylan when he came back.


	11. Chapter 11

Sharpay and Ryan got up early and had to go straight to school. Ms. Darbus had ordered everyone to do another run-through of the show Saturday morning before the last performance. Ashley spent most of the day finishing up her homework for spring break. When she finished she sat down and read a book until it was time to go see the musical.

This time she got there early enough to get a good seat. She sat next to people she didn't know, but she never really noticed. She was too busy focusing and critiquing the performance. Sharpay had asked her to find the mistakes so they could make sure to work on those things in future performances. During intermission Ashley got up to stretch her legs. She walked around the lobby for a few minutes, but never saw anyone she recognized so she went back to her seat.

At the end of the performance all the actors stood on stage and together gave a gift to Ms. Darbus for all her hard work. Ms. Darbus went into a long speech about everything she puts into every musical, and by the end, most of the audience had left. Ashley went backstage and helped Sharpay take off her stage make-up for the after-party, which was being held at their house. Sharpay gave her permission to attend the party instead of banishing her to her room.

"So how long do these parties usually last?" Ashley asked Ryan on the ride over.

"It depends. Sometimes they only last a few hours, sometimes they last all night. This one will probably be a long one since it's spring break, but you can go up to your room whenever you want."

Ryan spent his time talking with the other actors and techies from the show. Ashley left him in search of a familiar face. She spotted Gabriella across the room, standing next to Troy, who was being held up by Sharpay. It was obvious that Troy would rather be spending time with Gabriella instead of Sharpay, so Ashley intervened.

"Sharpay, one of the actors is looking for you in the living room. They wanted to congratulate you on your spectacular performance." Sharpay quickly left Troy in search of the non-existent suck-up.

"Thanks Ash," Troy told her. "I thought she'd never leave."

"I know. I figured you were looking for an escape route. I've lived with her long enough to know exactly what to say to get her to go away."

"Did you like the show?" Gabriella asked.

"Yes. I saw it last night too, but Sharpay wanted me to go and find all the mistakes."

"Why would she want you to do that?"

"Who cares," Troy said. "Is there food in the kitchen?" Ashley nodded and Troy disappeared.

"I guess I know where his priorities lie," Gabriella commented.

"He's just hungry, like all boys. Speaking of boys, have you seen Chad? I know Troy invited him."

"Taylor told me they wouldn't be coming because they were going to have a talk. She said you two talked at the performance last night and you told her to talk to Chad about some things. Hopefully they work things out. I'd hate to see them break up."

"They seem happy together. I think they'll be able to work things out. What about you and Troy? How are things going?"

"We're doing fine. He actually gave me this necklace tonight after the performance." She pointed to the necklace she was wearing: a plain silver chain with a silver pendant in the shape of a "T" and a red stone embedded in it.

"That's sweet." Troy came back then with a small plate of food and took Gabriella away.

Ashley wandered around, congratulating people here and there. Right when she was about to go up to her room and retire for the night, she saw a head of big, brown hair walk through the door. She left the stairs and walked over to greet Chad.

"Hey Chad." She noticed Taylor didn't appear behind him. "Where's Taylor?" Chad's smile faltered slightly when he heard Taylor's name.

"She's not coming. How was the play?" he asked while walking to the kitchen. He started piling food on a plate.

"It was fine. I think Troy might have left with Gabriella already, in case you're looking for him."

"Chad!" Chad had only seconds to set his plate of food down before being hugged from behind and lifted away from the table. When he was set on the ground again he turned to talk to his tormenter.

"Hey Troy, I was told you'd left." Chad picked up his food and followed Troy into the living room.

"Nope, I'm still here. I had to take Gabriella home but I came back to see you. So where's Taylor?"

"She decided not to come. How's the party so far?" Chad started eating his food while Troy talked.

"It's not very exciting. Of course, the food is pretty good." Troy watched Chad shove bite after bite into his mouth. "I don't think you got quite enough food." Chad didn't respond, which Troy thought was weird. "Chad, are you okay?"

"Fine," he said in between bites. Sharpay chose that moment to drag Troy away to introduce him to more people. Chad headed back to the kitchen.

On his way he passed the doors leading to the patio by the pool. Ashley was standing outside by herself. Chad threw his plate into the already overflowing trashcan and walked outside. He shut the door behind him and Ashley turned around.

"Hey Chad."

"What are you doing out here?"

"I thought the pool looked pretty," Ashley said sarcastically. Chad laughed. "So what's bothering you?" She had seen the way he acted with Troy. It was obvious that something was wrong because he wasn't his normal, happy self.

"Nothing." Ashley gave him a skeptical look. Chad sighed. "Taylor and I broke up." Ashley was silent, not knowing what to say. The silence stretched on until Ashley finally asked the question that was on her mind.

"Why?" Chad thought back to his last conversation with Taylor.

---------

_"We need to talk," Taylor told him._

_Chad stepped back in surprise. He hadn't seen Taylor all day because she was having a decathlon practice. She told him she wanted to get an early start for the next competition. That night he went to pick her up for the party Sharpay and Ryan were holding to celebrate the end of the musical. He knocked on her door and the first thing she said to him wasn't the "hello" he had been expecting._

_"About what?"_

_"About us. You never seem to want to hang out with me anymore. You always have a reason for being somewhere else or having something else to do. I know I've been busy with my decathlon meetings, but I still try to make time for you. It just seems like you don't want to be together anymore."_

_"I haven't been avoiding you. I know you've been busy with the decathlon, but I told you I understood because I have basketball practices."_

_"What about during school, at lunch. You hardly talk to me anymore. You're either talking to Troy or Ashley when she sits with us."_

_"You're always talking to Gabriella, so I just figured I would have my own conversation. If you wanted to talk to me why didn't you say something?"_

_"I tried, but you never listened." By this time Taylor and Chad were sitting in chairs on the McKessie's front porch._

_"I'm sorry that you've been feeling like I'm avoiding you. Can we work this out?"_

_"I don't know Chad. I think . . . I think we need a break." Chad stood up._

_"Are you saying that you want to break up?"_

_"I don't know, maybe, kind of," Taylor said quickly. "Things are just getting too complicated and I don't think we're meant to be together. I'm sorry." Taylor stood up and ran into her house. Chad went to his car and sat there for a few minutes before driving to the party by himself._

---------

"It just wasn't working out," Chad told Ashley.

"I'm sorry." She hated seeing Chad hurt. "Why did you come to the party?"

"I guess I thought it would get my mind off things. It's not working though. I think I'm just going to go home."

"Wait," Ashley said. She knew if he went home he would only be thinking about things with Taylor, so she thought of a way to preoccupy his mind. "The parties always end with a musical. Don't you want to stay and watch it? You know that at this point you won't be able to get out of the house without offending Sharpay, and I _know_ you don't want to do that." By now Chad was smiling as he saw he had no choice but to watch the movie.

"Oh fine, but it better not be something cheesy like The Sound of Music." Ashley smiled, because she had picked the movie out with permission from Sharpay. Luckily for Chad it wasn't The Sound of Music.

"Nope, nothing like that."

Ashley led Chad back inside the house. Sharpay had been waiting to start the movie until Ashley showed up since she had picked it. Most of the people had left, so there were only ten or so people remaining. Sharpay had held Troy up long enough to keep him around for the movie. Everyone scrambled to find good seats in the large living room. Ashley ended up sitting next to Chad on the couch too big for one person but just big enough for too. Once everyone found a seat they started watching The Happiest Millionaire.

Half way through the movie, Ashley looked over to see Chad asleep with his head leaning against the back of the couch. She smiled and went back to watching the movie, but a few minutes later she felt Chad's head slide over and rest on her shoulder. She wasn't sure what to do. She didn't mind because she could still watch the movie, but she wasn't sure what Chad or the other people in the room would say. She decided that if Chad was still asleep at the end of the movie she'd wake him before the lights got turned on. As it turned out, Ashley and her siblings were the only ones still awake at the end of the movie. She woke Chad up and then helped her siblings wake everyone else up.

"How long was I out?" Chad asked while Ashley was trying to wake up Troy.

"I noticed you were sleeping an hour into it, but I'm pretty sure you fell asleep before that. How do you wake this guy up?" she asked concerning Troy.

Chad smiled. He walked into the kitchen and came back with a pan and spoon. He put the pan next to Troy's head and began banging on it with the spoon. Troy woke up seconds after and hit his head on the pan.

"What's going on?" Troy asked. He seemed to remember quickly because a second later he asked, "How long have I been asleep?" Chad just laughed and helped Troy to his feet.

Troy and Chad were the last two to leave. Sharpay didn't seem to want to let Troy go. She hadn't quite gotten over him yet, but she wasn't actually trying to break him and Gabriella up; she just wanted Troy's attention on her. Ashley got Sharpay away from Troy so Ryan reminded Troy and Chad as they walked out the door that they were invited to another party on Monday. Troy was told to remind Gabriella and Chad was to tell Taylor.

"Hey Troy, do you think you could have Gabriella tell Taylor?"

"Why?"

"Taylor and I aren't on the best of terms right now," he said. He was hoping that he could talk to Taylor and get back together with her, but he wanted to give her a little space right now.

"Sure, I'll tell Gabriella. See you Monday then."

"See ya." Chad got in his car and drove home, ready to go back to sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

Sunday came and went, filled with preparations for Monday's party and Sharpay and Ryan's dance class. Ashley excused herself and stayed home to enjoy the hours of solitude. She received a call from Dylan while her siblings were out.

"How's Cancun?" Ashley asked.

"It's a blast! We've been to the beach already and had so much fun meeting new people." Ashley didn't share his excitement. She wondered what kinds of new people Dylan was meeting. Maybe he thought he could get away with messing around with girls while she wasn't around. Hopefully that wasn't the case. "What about you? Doing anything fun?"

"There's a party at my house tomorrow."

"Is Chad going?" Dylan asked without bothering to hide his contempt for the guy.

"Yes. Do you have a problem with that?" She remembered their previous conversation. He was extremely jealous of Chad. Ashley hoped he would get pass that before he returned from Cancun.

"You know how I feel about him."

"Yes, I do. But I can still spend time with him if I want to because he's my friend. You don't get to decide who my friends are. I believe I told you that you don't get to run my life just because you're my boyfriend. Obviously you haven't thought that much about our last conversation. I'll give you some more time to think and hopefully something will sink in."

Ashley hung up and took a few deep breaths to calm herself. She decided to ignore his phone calls for the rest of spring break. That might let him know she meant what she said in their last two conversations. If he came back and nothing changed, she'd break up with him. She had become sick of being abused by him and having to hide everything about their relationship from her family and friends.

To get her mind off of Dylan's phone call, Ashley swam laps in the pool. She started with a breast stroke, then moved to a side stroke, and finally finished with free style. The water felt cool on her skin, relaxing her tense muscles. When she tired of swimming, she went back to her room and read a book until she fell asleep.

Ashley woke up to the smells of different foods. She got out of bed and followed them to the kitchen. Sharpay was standing in her bathrobe, yelling at the cook. From what Ashley could gather, the cook made so much noise making the food he woke Sharpay up. _Heaven forbid should the queen miss out on her beauty sleep._ Ashley smiled to herself and went back to bed without anyone knowing she'd been up.

She got up a few hours later and after throwing on a shirt and a pair of jeans she went downstairs to help her siblings get the house ready for their party. No one from the catering service was around, and Ashley found out it was because Sharpay fired them after waking her up. So she took over arranging the food and putting it out on tables. When that was done she went back up to her room to hopefully finish her book before people started arriving.

"Hey Troy," Ryan said as he opened the door. Sharpay was still applying make-up so Ryan took over host duties until she appeared.

"Hey Ryan," Troy said as he looked around. "Where is everyone?" he asked Ryan. "I'm not even early and I'm still the first one here?"

"Yep. Where's Gabriella?"

"She's picking up Taylor."

"Oh. Well, feel free to eat some food. Sharpay should be down soon." While Troy headed into the kitchen the doorbell rang again and Ryan answered it. "Hey Chad."

"Hey Ryan. Hey Troy." Chad joined Troy in the kitchen. Ryan stayed by the door because he saw Gabrielle and Taylor pull up. More people started arriving, and Sharpay finally made her appearance downstairs.

Sharpay immediately engaged Troy in a conversation about college plans after high school. Chad smiled at Taylor and tried to talk to her, but she only walked outside with Gabriella. Chad busied himself with getting food. Ryan put a sign on the door telling the rest of the guests to let themselves in, allowing him to take a break. He joined Chad by the food and then realized that Ashley wasn't around. He tried talking to Sharpay, but she was busy talking to Kelsi about the next school production. Ryan got pulled into the conversation, so he quickly asked the closest person to check Ashley's room. That person happened to be Troy.

Troy walked upstairs and looked at all the doors, trying to decide which one was Ashley's. He assumed the one covered in pink and sequins was Sharpay's. The one with a dance class schedule had to be Ryan's. The room with double doors had to be the master bedroom. That left the plain white door as Ashley's. He knocked on the door, but it swung open, letting him see the interior of the room.

Inside the walls were painted pale blue and covered in Broadway posters, book covers, and pictures of famous landmarks like the Eiffel Tower. Along the wall the door opened up against, on Troy's left, was a desk covered in books, papers, pens, and pencils. The wall opposite the door and Troy had a window covered by dark blue drapes and white, wooden blinds. A full size bed ran lengthwise along the wall to Troy's right. Ashley was lying flat on her stomach, on her bed, engrossed in a book. She didn't appear to have noticed his presence.

"Ashley?" She didn't respond to her name.

He walked over to the bed and tapped her on the shoulder. She screamed and accidentally slapped him across the cheek while simultaneously rolling off of her bed onto the floor. Troy was knocked down when she fell off the bed. When she got up, she carefully laid her book on her desk and turned around to face him.

"What are you doing in here?" she asked him.

"I was told to come get you and bring you down to the party. You didn't answer when I called your name, so I tapped you on the shoulder. Then you just freaked out."

"Sorry. I was just so involved in my book that I tuned out everything else. Sorry about slapping you. It was an accident."

"I know, and don't worry about it. I've had worse injuries."

They walked down the stairs together, and Troy walked outside right away to talk to Gabriella, or to stay away from Sharpay. Ashley went to the kitchen for food and ran into Chad.

"Hey Chad, how's it going?" she asked. She grabbed a bagel and spread some cream cheese on it while waiting for his answer.

"Not so good," he finally said. "Taylor won't even talk to me. When I tried to talk to her before she just went outside with Gabriella. I'm not sure if I'll be able to smooth things over." He paused and thought a minute before speaking again. "Maybe you can help me." Ashley put her hands up.

"Oh no. I don't want to get involved. This is between you and Taylor."

"You don't have to do much. Just get Gabriella away from Taylor so I can talk to her. Please?" Chad gave her a pleading look, and she caved. She walked outside and joined in the conversation with Gabriella, Taylor, and Troy, trying to think of a way to leave Taylor by herself.

"Troy, Chad's looking for you. He's over by the food." Troy nodded and left.

"I haven't talked with you yet today Ashley," Gabriella said. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine. How about both of you?" Gabriella answered that she was fine, but Taylor didn't answer. "Taylor?" Taylor looked up at Ashley.

"Sorry, I wasn't listening."

"Are you thinking about Chad again?" Gabriella asked. Taylor nodded.

"I just don't understand. Things were going so well, but then they changed. I don't think he changed, I think I did. I got caught up in my decathlon preparation, and I think that's when I realized how different the two of us are. We have completely different interests, and it was always hard to carry on a conversation. I don't enjoy basketball, and he doesn't care about my decathlon. He tried to be interested in it, but he just couldn't be. Breaking up was going to happen sooner or later, only I didn't think it would be this hard."

"It sounds like you need time alone with your thoughts," Ashley said. "Come on, Gabriella, let's give Taylor some time to think about things."

Gabriella nodded and followed Ashley inside. They started talking with Kelsi, who managed to escape from her conversation with Sharpay. While they were talking Ashley saw Chad slip outside. She continued her conversation but kept her eye on the door, waiting for Chad or Taylor or both to walk inside. After a few minutes Chad came back in, walked straight through the house, and headed out the front door. Ashley excused herself and followed him.

"Chad!" she called. He was already getting into his car. He stopped and rested his arm on the car door, waiting for her to walk over to him. "Why are you leaving? What happened with Taylor?"

"It's over. She made it plain to me that there's no way she'll go out with me again. Thanks for your help, but I'm going to leave the party early."

"You can't leave now." Ashley didn't know how she could make him stay, but she knew she didn't want him to leave.

"I can and I will. I don't want to make things any more uncomfortable than they're already going to be when everyone finds out that Taylor and I broke up." He got in his car and tried to close the door, but Ashley stopped him. "Let go of the door, Ashley," he told her. "I just don't feel like being around Taylor right now, and she probably feels the same way about me."

Chad grabbed the door handle and slammed the door. Ashley still had her hand on the door and tried to keep it open to prevent Chad from leaving, but she wasn't strong enough. Instead her hand got smashed between the door and the door frame. She yelled out in pain.

"Ashley, I'm sorry. I didn't realize your hand was still there. Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine," she told him, cradling her injured hand. "I've had worse."

He got out of his car and led her back into the house. He got her a pack of ice, wrapped it in a towel, and placed it on her hand. Wanting to avoid a scene, Ashley headed upstairs to her room. Chad followed, still apologizing.

"I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to smash your hand."

"Chad, really, it's okay. Once the throbbing stops, it'll be fine. It might be a bit swollen, but I'm sure it's nothing more serious than a bruise. You can stop apologizing." Thankfully, Chad did stop apologizing.

Ashley sat down on her bed, and Chad sat in the desk chair. Chad said nothing because all he could think of to say was another apology. Ashley didn't say anything because her hand was throbbing painfully, but she didn't want to make Chad feel worse. When she realized Chad wasn't going to say anything and she needed something to get her mind off of her hand, she started a conversation.

"So do you have any plans for spring break?" she asked him.

"Not really. I," he paused, and she knew he was thinking about Taylor again. "I had made plans with Taylor but obviously those are cancelled now. Troy's throwing a party for the basketball team and friends on Friday."

"Were you going to bring Taylor to that?" Chad nodded. "You're still going to go though, right? You wouldn't skip it just because you can't bring Taylor, would you?"

"No, of course not. I love Troy's parties. Something always happens that I can tell stories about later."

"Sounds like there's never a dull moment."

"That's right. They're a lot of fun. Hey, do you want to come to the party? I know Gabriella will be there and probably wouldn't mind another girl to talk to." For a minute she thought of Dylan and knew he wouldn't want her to go, but she decided if he could hang out with new people then she could hang out with her friends.

"Sure," she said smiling.

They continued talking until the bag of ice melted and began dripping on Ashley's hand. They went back downstairs to rejoin the party. Gabriella had taken Taylor home, so Chad decided he would stay. He challenged Troy to a game of pool, so everyone assembled in the game room to watch the two play.

When the game was over and Troy declared the winner, people started leaving. Sharpay disappeared to her room immediately after everyone left. Ashley and Ryan took it upon themselves to clean up the house. Once that was finished, Ryan left for dance lessons with Sharpay. Ashley stayed home and watched The Sound of Music. She fell asleep on the couch near the end of the movie. When Sharpay and Ryan got home, they left her there and went to bed themselves.


	13. Chapter 13

Ashley woke up Tuesday morning and saw a bruise across her knuckles, where they had been slammed in Chad's car door. Her hand was a little sore, but not too bad. When she sat up, she realized she had fallen asleep on the couch watching _The Sound of Music_. Her neck was as sore as her bruised hand, but she figured a hot shower would ease the pain.

When she finished getting ready for the day, she made the decision to call Taylor and see how she was doing. She dialed Taylor's number and waited for someone to answer the phone.

"Hello?" a female voice answered.

"Hi, is this Taylor?" Ashley asked.

"Yes, who's this?"

"This is Ashley Evans. Did I wake you up?" She was afraid she had because Taylor sounded groggy. The clock read nine in the morning, but it was spring break so people were more likely to stay up later and sleep in longer.

"No, I've been awake since seven. What do you want?" Taylor asked politely.

"I was wondering if I could come over and talk for awhile."

"I guess."

So Ashley hung up and made Ryan drive her to Taylor's house. She told Ryan she'd call him when she was ready to leave. She knocked on the front door and Taylor opened it. Ashley could tell right away that Taylor had been crying. Taylor brought Ashley into the living room and they sat in the chairs facing each other.

"You look like you've been crying," Ashley said, starting the conversation. She didn't find any point in beating around the bush. "Are you still upset about Chad?"

"Yes. I know that the breakup was the right thing to do, but I still wish it could've worked out. I'm hoping that we can still be friends. I know that normally the guy wants to be friends and the girl doesn't, but since I'm the one that broke up and want to stay friends hopefully he'll still want to be friends."

"I'm sure he will, but maybe not right away. I would imagine that he needs a little time, just like you." Taylor nodded.

"I hope so. So did you come over here just to talk about my breakup with Chad?" Ashley blushed a little, wishing she had thought of something else to talk about. "That's okay," Taylor told her. "I appreciate you coming over here. What plans do you have for spring break?"

"Well, Chad invited me to Troy's party on Friday." Taylor looked like she might start crying again, but then changed her mind.

"That's cool. I'm glad that Chad's still going. I figured he probably wouldn't take me now. You'll enjoy the party. Someone always does something interesting. I remember last year the boys started playing a basketball game and Chad ran right into the basketball pole." Ashley laughed. "It got even better when Troy, who was running after him, ran into the pole too." Ashley laughed even harder.

Ashley stayed with Taylor for another hour, talking and listening to stories. When she finally left, it seemed like Taylor was feeling better. Ryan asked her how it went because she told him what she was doing when he dropped her off.

"I think she's feeling better," Ashley said. "She was telling stories about Chad and Troy without tearing up, which I think is a good sign." Ryan nodded his agreement.

"I just realized today that your birthday is coming up. What do you want to do this year?"

"I don't know."

"Come on, you don't want to do the same thing you do every year. Aren't you sick of having a fancy dinner with Mom, Dad, and their friends? Why don't we have a party with your own friends? You can pick out who you want to invite." Ashley agreed.

Ashley spent the day making birthday decisions. Ashley came up with a guest list, including the basketball team, the drama club, basically everyone that sat with her siblings. She also made out an invitation for Dylan, but she would wait to give it to him to see if he changed after he came back from Mexico.

Wednesday and Thursday passed with little excitement. Ashley went to dance classes with her siblings, watched musicals, finished up birthday plans, and read books. On Friday, she was excited about going to Troy's party with Chad. She decided to wear jeans and a tank top so she wouldn't be overdressed. Chad picked her up and drove her to the party.

"Have you enjoyed your spring break?" Ashley asked.

"Yep."

"Are you ready for school to start again?"

"No. Spring break is never long enough," Chad complained. "I don't want to go back to getting up at 6:45 in the morning and staying up late doing homework. I don't have the energy to go back."

"This sounds like quite a routine for you." Chad just smiled and opened the door for her.

They walked into Troy's house, where music was blasting from speakers in the living room. People were sitting on the couches, eating food in the kitchen, and a few people were outside on the basketball court.

Chad headed straight for the kitchen to look for Troy. Ashley followed him, assuming Gabriella would be with Troy. Neither were in the kitchen. Ashley happened to see Gabriella sitting outside, so she joined the girl.

"Hey Ashley, I didn't know you were coming," Gabriella said. "Who did you come with?"

"I came with Chad."

"Oh, is Taylor here?" Ashley realized that she was the only one who knew that Chad and Taylor broke up. She decided to let Chad break the news.

"No, she didn't come." Before Gabriella could reply, Troy and Chad walked outside.

"So this is where you disappeared to," Troy said to Gabriella. "Hi Ashley." Ashley nodded her hello. "What are you two doing outside?"

"We were just talking," Gabriella said. "Chad, why didn't Taylor come?" Ashley looked at Chad and wondered how he would answer.

"Taylor and I broke up," Chad told her. Gabriella and Troy were both surprised. "It happened last Saturday. That's why you had to bring her to the party on Monday, Gabriella."

"Why didn't you say something sooner?" Troy asked. "Is there something I can do?"

"No, it's cool." Troy and Chad walked out to the basketball court, and got involved in a long conversation. Gabriella started her own conversation with Ashley.

"So, you knew about this?" Ashley nodded.

"I was the only one around when he wanted to talk about it. I went over and talked to Taylor on Tuesday to see how she was doing. She had been crying, but by the time I left she seemed to be doing better. She was telling stories and laughing."

Gabriella and Ashley continued talking until they were interrupted by the basketball team walking outside and interrupting Troy and Chad's conversation to start a basketball game. Gabriella and Ashley watched from the sidelines.

Troy and Chad were voted captains, and split the team into two smaller teams to play against each other. The goal was 21 points to win. Chad's team started out strong, but Troy's team caught up and began winning. By the time both teams had 20 points, everyone was outside watching. Troy had the ball and was running for the hoop. Before he could get the ball in the hoop, Chad tackled him. Together they rolled across the court. Gabriella ran onto the court and made sure Troy was okay while Chad was getting up. When Gabriella leaned towards Troy to ask if he was hurt, he sat up, pulled her down next to him, and kissed her.

All the boys started cat-calling and whistling. Gabriella pulled away, blushing furiously. Troy helped her up, smiling widely all the while. Gabriella punched him playfully in the stomach and stalked off towards Ashley. Troy just smiled and gave a thumbs up to his teammates, who gave a loud cheer.

"So is that the sort of things that gets made into a story?" Ashley asked Gabriella. She was smiling at Gabriella's discomfort.

When Gabriella was seated again, the basketball game was resumed and Chad's team won, Chad scoring the winning point. The game being over, most of the people began heading inside. Ashley noticed Chad sitting down on the far side of the court, hidden from everyone by shadows. She made her way through the crowd and joined him in the grass.

"Why aren't you going inside with everyone else?" she asked. Chad only shrugged. "Congratulations on winning the game." Chad said nothing, so Ashley tried again. "Are you ticklish?"

"What?" Chad asked, confused. Ashley smiled.

"I was hoping that would get a response out of you." When Chad only continued to look confused she explained further. "You didn't respond to my first two attempts at starting a conversation, so I decided I'd try asking a random question to get your attention and it worked. Although," she added, "you still haven't answered my question. Are you ticklish?"

"No. I stopped being ticklish when I was in junior high. What about you, are you ticklish?" He smiled deviously.

"No, I found it too troublesome," she answered seriously to hide the fact that she was lying. She started getting up but Chad pulled her back down.

"So where are you ticklish?" he asked.

"I told you I'm not ticklish." She really hoped he wouldn't find her ticklish spot. The bottoms of her feet were her most ticklish spot, but thankfully she still had her shoes on. Her other ticklish spots were the sides of her stomach.

"And I don't believe you."

Ashley realized Chad was going to try to find her ticklish spots, so she jumped up and ran towards the door to the house. Unfortunately, Chad caught her before she reached it. He tackled her in the grass and began tickling her sides. She tried to push him away but he was bigger, stronger, and had the advantage. She had no strength because she was laughing so hard. Her sides started hurting from laughing so hard, so she begged Chad to stop. He eventually stopped.

"Why . . . would you . . . do that?" she asked while catching her breath.

"Cause it was fun."

"For you maybe. You weren't the one whose sides hurt from laughing so hard."

They sat on the grass in silence, enjoying each others company. Ashley finally broke the silence with another question.

"So why didn't you follow everyone into the house?" Chad waited a minute before answering.

"I wanted to enjoy some quiet, away from the crowds. Pretty soon everyone will know about my break up with Taylor and I don't want to deal with anything. I just wanted some time alone. Of course, that didn't quite work out the way I wanted when you sat down next to me and started pestering me with questions."

"Sorry."

"It's not a problem. I didn't mind."

They eventually went back inside and said goodbye to Troy. Chad drove Ashley home and she ran into Sharpay on her way upstairs. Sharpay asked how the party was but didn't stick around for the answer. Ashley shrugged it off and went to bed, thinking about the coming Monday and the return of Dylan. She hoped something in him changed while he was in Cancun.


	14. Chapter 14

Monday morning came all too soon. Ashley drove to school with Ryan and noticed the other students at school looked more than half asleep. Nobody appeared ready for school to start again. Ashley had a call from Dylan Sunday night telling her to meet him in the parking lot, so Ryan left her leaning against the car, waiting. A few minutes later she watched Dylan walk up to her.

"Miss me?" Dylan asked her. He leaned in to kiss her, but she held him away with her hand while she answered him.

"Not really. I had lots of fun hanging out with my friends while you were gone." Dylan hid his anger before Ashley could notice. "Did you think about anything while you were in Cancun?"

"Yes, and I realized you were right. I was acting like a jerk and treating you . . . well, horribly. I'm sorry about everything and I hope you'll give me a second chance, please?"

"I'll think about it and let you know tomorrow. So I'll be eating with my friends today. If I decide to forgive you I'll sit with you tomorrow."

With that, Ashley left Dylan standing speechless by Ryan's car while she walked to class. During her morning classes she thought about what Dylan said. It was exactly what she was hoping he would say. She wondered if he was only saying those things to get her to forgive him, but he seemed genuinely sorry. She continued thinking during lunch. Her silence was noticed and soon interrupted.

"What're you thinking about so hard?" Chad asked. Ashley looked up, pausing a moment while Chad's question registered.

"Just stuff," she finally said. She knew he wouldn't accept such a simple response easily.

"You were pretty deep in thought for just regular stuff like school or homework, so what kind of stuff?"

"It's nothing important. So, were you ready for school to start again today?" Chad recognized her change of topic, but let it slide.

"No. I'm never ready for school to start, whether it's after summer vacation, spring break, or even one weekend. I can't wait for college, when classes don't start until noon and end at three. I'll be able to sleep in every morning and still have plenty of time to do homework."

"I hate to burst your bubble, Chad, but college classes don't all start at noon. Some start as early as eight in the morning. Just because it's college doesn't mean life becomes that much easier."

"Well I'm not going to take any classes that start at eight in the morning. That should be made illegal. There should be a law requiring the earliest time for people to wake up to be nine. Anything before nine is just too early."

"Then how do you manage to get up in time to come to school?"

"Ah, that's my little secret."

"You probably have your mom wake you up because you can't wake up to your alarm." Ashley smiled at Chad's reaction. His mouth hung open and his eyes widened, as if he couldn't believe she guessed his secret or that she thought he forced his mom to wake him up every morning. She couldn't tell which he was thinking, but his face was still amusing.

"I do not have my mom wake me up," he finally said.

"Sure," Ashley said slowly, making it obvious that she didn't believe him.

Chad grumbled and decided to ignore her for the rest of lunch as punishment. Ashley was thankful for the silence, sinking back into her thoughts about Dylan, but her silence was interrupted when Gabriella drew her into a conversation. Their discussion ended when the bell rang and Ashley spent the remainder of her classes thinking about Dylan's response. Ryan tried talking to her on the ride home, but realized she just wanted to think. By the end of the day, before she went to bed, Ashley made her decision.

---------

"Hey Dylan," Ashley said as she sat down next to him at lunch the next day.

"Hey Ashley. Does this mean you're giving me another chance?" He looked relieved when she told him yes.

"But if you start acting the way you did before, there won't be another chance." Dylan promised to behave and swore that he had changed. Ashley said she'd believe it when she saw it. Surprisingly, she didn't have long to wait.

When lunch ended, Dylan carried her books for her to their next class. He asked her if she wanted a ride home from him, and she said yes. After school, he opened the door for her both times, and kept his music quiet so they could still carry on a conversation. When he dropped her off, he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and said goodbye. Ashley was surprised by his behavior, but happy at the same time.

Dylan proved to be a perfect gentleman. He continued carrying her books for her when he was around. He always opened doors for her. He complimented her every day, sometimes more than once a day, and told her things like how beautiful she was, how much she meant to him, etc. When they went out, he always insisted on paying for her.

Ashley was in heaven for the two weeks until prom. Dylan was everything she ever wanted in a boyfriend. He made her feel like a princess, treating her like royalty. She couldn't imagine anything going wrong when things were going so right. When Dylan asked her if she still wanted to go to prom with him, she accepted immediately. She purchased her prom dress and couldn't wait for prom night.

The Friday before prom Ashley talked with Ryan and Sharpay about their plans for prom. Sharpay told her they were taking a limousine with Troy, Gabriella, Chad, and Taylor. Chad and Taylor were going to prom together, but as friends instead of a couple. Ashley was disappointed not to ride with the group, but she wasn't too disappointed. She was too excited to be going with Dylan.

"You look gorgeous," Dylan told her when he picked her up for the dance. She was wearing a pale blue, slim, floor-length dress. It had a vertical slit in the center of the chest and two horizontal slits, one under each breast. Her shoes were three-inch silver heels. She had diamond stud earrings, the moon pendant Dylan had given her, and a bracelet with blue sapphires set in silver. Her hair was clipped high on the back of her head and fell out in ringlets.

"Thank you. You look somewhat dashing yourself."

Dylan escorted her to the car and opened the door for her as usual. Then they drove to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. Dylan paid for her meal, despite her protests, and when they were finished they drove to the dance.

The dance was held in a ballroom at a fancy hotel. There were tables and chairs set up all along the edge of the room. People sat there to eat and drink refreshments. The middle of the floor was crowded with people dancing. The DJ was set up at a table on the wall farthest from the entrance. People constantly walked up and requested songs and the DJ was pretty good about playing popular songs and songs good for dancing.

"Want to dance?" Dylan asked her. She nodded. While they danced she remembered the previous school dance she went to with Dylan. He hadn't asked her to dance but expected her to. This time he only did what she wanted to do. After several songs they took a break. Dylan went to say hi to some friends and Ashley found her siblings' group.

"Hey everybody," Ashley said. She took a seat next to Chad.

"Hey Ashley," Chad said. "Enjoying prom?" She nodded. "You're lucky that a junior asked you, because otherwise you wouldn't get to go."

"I know that. So does that mean Taylor had to ask you so you could come?" There were some "oohs" and "ahs" around the group, but then they quieted and waited for Chad's response.

"Have you forgotten that I'm a junior? I didn't have to be asked."

"Oh, you're right, I did forget. You see, you just act so immature sometimes that I forget you're a year older than me."

"Chad, are you going to take that?" Troy asked.

"Well, while you think of a good comeback, I'm going to go find my date." Ashley said goodbye to everyone and started looking around the room for Dylan.

She wandered around the room, looking for Dylan. She couldn't find him, so she sat down at a table and decided to wait a few minutes before looking again. The table was near the edge of the room, next to the door that led out of the ballroom and into the rest of the hotel. As she was sitting, she heard Dylan's voice, and realized he was standing just outside the door talking with his friends. What she overheard made her gasp.

"Yeah, I'm sick of playing the perfect gentleman," Dylan told his friends. "I had to do it to get back in her good graces, but now I'm going to tell her we're having sex."

"What if she says no?" one of Dylan's friends asked.

"She doesn't get a choice. Besides, I can probably convince her to do whatever I want. She's been the easiest girl to control up until spring break. My other girlfriends tried breaking up with me a lot sooner, so keeping Ashley in line shouldn't be a problem."

The other guys chuckled and the group walked back into the ballroom. Dylan started looking for Ashley and spotted her at the table next to the door. He walked over and sat down next to her.

"Hey," he said.

"So you were just using me to get sex, is that it?" Dylan looked surprised. "I heard you talking to your friends. I'm so easy to control, right? Well, you can forget about your plans because there's nothing you can do to make me change my mind. We're through. I should have never given you a second chance. And I'll be sure to let everybody at school know just what kind of a guy you are." Ashley got up and walked away, but Dylan grabbed her arm.

"We are _not_ through," Dylan told her.

"Oh yes we are, and if you don't let go of me, I'll scream."

Dylan put his hand over her mouth and dragged her outside to his car. When they were inside, he forced her to kiss him. She was able to push him away, which only angered him more. Instead of forcing himself on her, he decided to take a different route.

He began by punching her in the stomach. He then started punching her in the face, the chest, and everywhere else. He continued beating her up, using everything he could think of. When Ashley was on the edge of unconsciousness, Dylan drove her to her house, dumped her on the driveway, and drove off.

When the Evans' limo had dropped off the others, it brought Sharpay and Ryan home. They got out of the car and stopped short. They recognized Ashley lying on the driveway, bleeding but conscious. Sharpay quickly ran inside and called 911. They were afraid to move Ashley for fear of injuring her further.

When the ambulance arrived the paramedics asked the two what happened. They said they didn't know, just that they found her lying on the driveway like that. The paramedics loaded her into the back, waited for Ryan to get in, and then drove to the hospital. Sharpay stayed behind to get their parents.

Ryan was told to sit in the waiting room. A doctor would talk to him later once they knew Ashley's condition. Sharpay arrived with their parents and waited with Ryan. The doctor came a half an hour later and told them that Ashley had severe bruising, several deep cuts, and the mildest form of a concussion.

"Will she be alright?" Mr. Evans asked.

"She should be, but we're going to keep her here overnight for observation. You are welcome to follow me to her room and speak with her, but you can only stay for a short while. If any you want to stay with her overnight you may."

They all followed the doctor to Ashley's room. She was set up in a bed, hooked up to monitors, IVs, and other things. Ashley smiled at them and Ryan was the first to ask how she felt.

"Okay, I suppose."

"What happened?" Ashley yawned and told him she wanted to rest.

"Yes, you need your rest," Mrs. Evans said. "You can tell us what happened tomorrow, or whenever you're feeling up to it."

"You can all stay overnight," the doctor interrupted, "but I need to have the parents come with me and fill out paper work."

The parents followed the doctor, leaving Sharpay and Ryan in Ashley's room. Ashley had already fallen asleep, so Sharpay decided to follow their parents. Ryan stayed with Ashley. When the rest of the family came back, Ryan discovered they all planned on returning home. He was told to call them in the morning when something happened. Ryan was more than willing to stay with Ashley because he knew he was the closest one to her, and he wanted to know if his suspicions about what happened were correct. So he settled into a chair and planned on talking with Ashley in the morning, before anyone else came back.


	15. Chapter 15

Ashley woke up early, unable to sleep with light streaming through the window and falling on her face. She tried to sit up, but stopped when she felt pain. It was then she remembered she was in the hospital, recovering from Dylan's beating. A noise next to her alerted her to Ryan's presence.

"Morning," she said. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and returned the greeting. "Where's the rest of the family?"

"They all went home. I'm supposed to call them and let them know when something happens. But before I do that I want to talk to you about last night. What happened?" Ashley didn't answer. "We saw you and Dylan leave early from prom. Did something happen between you two? Did he do this?" Again, Ashley said nothing. "Ash, tell me what happened. We were really worried when we found you lying on our driveway in that condition."

Ashley refused to answer, no matter what Ryan said or asked. The doctors came in a few minutes later to check on her condition. Ryan had to wait outside, so he called his family and let them know Ashley was awake. By the time the doctors were ready to talk about Ashley's condition, the rest of the Evans family had arrived.

"Her concussion has passed and shouldn't cause her any problems. Her cuts have started healing and her bruises will only cause her slight discomfort until they heal. You are welcome to take her home at this point." The doctor went on to tell the parents about warning signs of brain damage from the concussion, and at what point they should bring Ashley back to the hospital. Ryan and Sharpay went into Ashley's room to tell her she was going home.

It took thirty minutes to get through paper work and the process of getting Ashley into the car, but once she was out of the hospital, the family was silent. Ashley didn't mind the silence; she enjoyed the calm before the storm. She dreaded the questions she knew her parents would ask, the same ones that Ryan asked.

At home, Ashley was carefully placed on the couch in the living room. She couldn't make it all the way to her room yet, so she stopped to rest. Mr. and Mrs. Evans sat down on the couch across from Ashley and began the interrogation.

"What happened, Ashley?" Mr. Evans asked. "I want to find the person that did this to you. They will pay for hurting a member of this family."

"No one did this, Dad," Ashley lied.

"That's a lie. You didn't get this way by yourself. Now who did this to you?"

"No one," Ashley repeated.

"Nonsense, honey," Mrs. Evans said. "Just give us the name. If you don't want us to sue them we won't, but we will be letting them know how we feel about all this and they'll be paying for your hospital bill."

No matter how many times they asked, Ashley wouldn't say who hurt her. Her parents realized this and gave up. Ryan stayed near Ashley for the rest of the day. He watched movies with her and brought her up to her room so she could rest. He knew she wouldn't be going to school the next day, so he told her he'd get her homework for her.

---------

"But who did it?" Chad asked. Ryan had told everyone what happened to Ashley so they knew why she wasn't at school.

"She wouldn't say who did it. I asked, and my parents asked, but she wouldn't say. She's planning on coming back to school tomorrow." The conversation eventually moved on, but Chad had a question for Ryan.

"You said she wouldn't say who did it, but do you have any suspicions?"

"If you mean Dylan, then yes. They left prom early, and Dylan didn't look very happy. I don't know what happened, and I don't feel like pushing Ashley until she's had more time to rest. I'm hoping to talk to her when I get home today."

"If you find out anything, let me know." Ryan nodded and they began discussing classes.

After school ended Ryan got Ashley's homework and brought it home to her. She was still in her bedroom, reading a book. Ryan helped her down the stairs and into the living room. It didn't take her long to do her homework, so when she finished he decided to try asking again.

"Why did you and Dylan leave prom early?"

"He was tired of dancing."

"Where did you go after you left?"

"He brought me home and drove off. That's all."

"So was he the one that beat you up?"

"Ryan, I really don't feel like talking about this right now. Did you tell your table at lunch today what happened?"

"Yes. I thought it would be easier than having them all stare at you tomorrow and ask what happened. Are you sure you don't want to tell me who did this to you?"

"Yes."

Ryan let the subject drop. Ashley went to bed early that night. She wanted to get as much rest as she could for her return to school.

The next day at school Ashley could feel everyone staring at her. Her faced was still bruised, and she had a cut across her right temple. She was still very sore and had to move slowly all day. She looked forward to lunch when she could sit down and eat. Unfortunately, it wasn't as pleasant as she had hoped.

"Hey Ashley, how are you feeling?" Chad asked her when he saw her. She could see everyone's eyes on her face, and wondered how long it would take before the question on all of their minds was asked.

"I've had better days. What about you? Are you keeping up on your homework?"

"Nah, you know me. I never do my homework until the night before it's due, and even then I sometimes don't do it." Conversations started around the table, and Chad asked Ashley the question she knew was coming. "So what happened to you after prom?"

"Ryan told you what happened."

"Yes, but he didn't tell us who did it because you wouldn't tell him."

"If I wouldn't even tell my brother, what makes you think I'd tell you?" Ashley turned from Chad and joined Gabriella and Taylor's conversation. It didn't take long for that conversation to turn towards Ashley either, but this time it was a different subject.

"So how come you're eating with us today?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah, why aren't you eating with Dylan?" Taylor added.

"We broke up."

"What?" Gabriella exclaimed.

"When?" Taylor shouted about Gabriella. Everyone turned towards the girls to hear why they were making so much noise.

"After prom," Ashley said.

"What was after prom?" Sharpay asked.

"Dylan and Ashley broke up," Taylor said.

"Why did you break up?" Gabriella asked.

"It just needed to happen, that's all," Ashley told them. Everyone slowly went back to their previous conversations, except Ashley. She went back to eating her lunch and tried to avoid talking with anyone. At the end of lunch, Ashley slowly made her way to class. She remembered at the door that Dylan was in this class. She sat down in her seat and watched him take his a few desks away from her. Thankfully, he never even looked at her.

Ashley spent the rest of the week happy. She was still sore from the leftover bruises and cuts, but she was happy because she was free of Dylan. She never had to deal with him again. Her bruises had almost faded by the end of the week, and she was almost back to normal. On Friday she found out her parents were taking her siblings to a dance competition on Saturday, but she was allowed to stay home on the pretense of resting.

During the day she relaxed by watching movies. She finished her homework early so she wouldn't have to worry about that. In the evening she continued reading the book she started at the beginning of the week. While she was sitting in the living room, someone knocked on the door.

"Hello Ashley," Dylan said when she opened the door. "You seem to have healed quite nicely. You can hardly see the bruises anymore."

"What are you doing here Dylan?"

"I can't come by and say hello?" Ashley tried to close the door, but Dylan pushed his way inside. He then shut the door behind him and locked it.

"Dylan, get out of my house."

"No, not until I get what I came for."

"And what's that?"

"What I've wanted ever since I started dating you."

Ashley knew immediately what he was talking about. She ran away from him, but he caught her easily. He dragged her upstairs and into her room. He shut the door and locked it. She backed away from him as he advanced towards her. She backed into her bed, and realized there was no escaping him.

He pinned her to the bed and proceeded to rip her clothes off, ignoring her protesting screams. Within minutes he had taken off all of her clothes and wasted no time in unzipping his pants. He didn't take very long in raping her. He had no idea her family was out of town, and therefore was afraid of their returning while he was still in the house. When he was finished with Ashley, he zipped up his pants and left her crying on her bed.

She got up and threw away her blood-stained sheet. Then she locked her door so no one in her family would come in and see her crying. Then she went back to bed and cried herself to sleep.


	16. Chapter 16

Ashley woke up slowly. She became aware of being curled up in a ball under her covers, despite the heat causing her to sweat. She didn't care. Finally the previous night's events came back to her and she started crying again.

_How could this happen? What did I do wrong? Maybe it's my own fault. I continued to date Dylan after I knew he was no good. I kept it hidden from everyone. I didn't want them to know. If my parents found out they'd only think I was stupid for being fooled by him. Ryan, Chad, and the others would hurt Dylan I'm sure, and I don't want them to get in trouble. Maybe I am a fool for staying with him so long. I thought he'd be done with me after we broke up, but I was wrong. He was determined to get what he wanted. . . But now what do I do?_

Ashley's thoughts were interrupted by a knock on her door. Someone was telling her to get up. The clock next to her bed read ten-thirty in the morning. Ashley wondered how she'd been able to sleep for so long. She ignored the knocking and burrowed further under her covers until the person left. She knew it had to be Sharpay, most likely wanting to tell her how she and Ryan did at the competition, but Ashley wasn't ready to face anyone. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, and she knew she didn't want anyone to know what happened. Unsure if she could act normal, she decided to stay in bed as long as possible.

After another hour passed, Sharpay came back to Ashley's room.

"Ashley!" she yelled through the door. "Get up! You can't stay in bed all day." Ryan's voice suddenly came through the door, but he was talking to Sharpay.

"Shar, let her sleep. She probably was up late reading or watching a movie. I'm sure she'll come down when she's ready."

"But I want to tell her we got first place at the competition. If she doesn't leave her room, how will she find out?"

"If you keep talking this loud she won't have to leave her room to find out."

Sharpay made an indignant noise before walking to her room and slamming the door. Ryan just smiled and went down the stairs. He figured Ashley would come down when she was ready. Until then, he worked on some of his homework.

The rest of Sunday passed slowly. Sharpay busied herself by going shopping after lunch. Ryan finished his homework and watched an old musical. Both their parents were working late. When the clock struck five and Ashley still hadn't come out of her room, Ryan began to worry. It wasn't like her to skip a meal or stay in her room all day. He decided to try knocking on her door again.

Ashley was still in bed. She fell asleep around noon and woke up at three. The thought of getting out of bed and going downstairs to eat passed through her mind, but she ignored it. While she was awake she thought it might be useful to come up with an excuse for staying in bed all day. The best reason she could come up with was feeling sick. It seemed logical enough. When Ryan knocked on her door at five and asked if she was okay, she told him she wasn't feeling good.

"Is there anything I can do?" he asked her.

When she assured him that she didn't need anything, that she just wanted to be left alone, he left. She hated lying to Ryan, but at that moment it seemed like the only thing she could do. Ashley spent the remainder of the day in her room, curled under her covers. Crying herself to sleep that night, Ashley knew she had to go to school the next day so Dylan wouldn't get the satisfaction of knowing just how deeply he'd hurt her.

Ryan asked Ashley how she felt on the ride to school the next morning. She told him she felt fine. The rest of the car ride was silent. Ashley stayed quiet through all of her classes. At lunch, since she'd left before Sharpay got up, Sharpay spent the entire lunch period telling Ashley every detail about the competition. Ashley was grateful for the excuse not to have to talk to anyone. After lunch, Ashley went to her locker to switch textbooks. Dylan walked over to her before she could leave.

"I'm surprised you even made it to school today," Dylan said. "I thought you'd still be in bed crying."

"What do you want Dylan?"

"I already got what I wanted. I stole the one thing you can't replace." He whispered the last sentence in her ear, then slammed her locker shut and walked away.

Ashley held back tears. She made it through the rest of the day and after school she waited by Ryan's car. A few minutes later Chad walked over to her.

"Ryan and Sharpay are in a drama meeting. Ryan asked me to give you a ride home if you didn't feel like waiting."

"Okay." Ashley followed Chad to his car.

"You seem really quiet today." Chad waited for a response, but Ashley gave none. "Is something wrong?"

"No, everything's fine."

"Oh. Ryan told me you stayed in bed all day yesterday because you weren't feeling good. What was wrong?"

"I just felt sick, that's all."

"Are you feeling better?"

"Yes."

Chad ran out of questions and had no choice but to finish the car ride in silence. When he dropped Ashley off, she thanked him and practically ran to her house before he could say "you're welcome."

Once Ashley was inside, she ran to her room, locked the door, and cried into her pillow. Dylan's comments really upset her, mostly because they were true, but also because he didn't seem sorry about it. She was sure he knew he'd gotten to her, but she promised her self that no matter how much he hurt her, she'd never let him see it.

For the rest of the week, Dylan stayed away from Ashley. He ignored her as much as she ignored him. Ashley was perfectly fine with this. She was able to act normal and, for the time being, forget about what he'd done to her. She also forgot about her birthday party on the upcoming Saturday, one week after Dylan raped her. Ryan noticed this and used it to his advantage. He made sure that everyone who was invited knew not to mention the party around Ashley. They were going to throw her a surprise birthday party.

Saturday morning came and Ashley woke up at her normal time of 9 a.m. She went downstairs and ate breakfast, enjoying the silence before her siblings got up. Her parents were already at work. They apologized for having to work on her birthday, but told her it was unavoidable. That was how she remembered it was her birthday. Her siblings did finally come downstairs and they both ate breakfast in silence. Neither wished her a happy birthday.

When they all were finished eating, each went to their own room to get dressed and ready for the day. Then Sharpay came to Ashley's door and asked for help on homework. Ashley agreed and they went to Sharpay's room to work. It was math homework that caused the most problems. Ashley spent several hours trying to teach Sharpay how to do her work, and in the end Sharpay figured it out. They realized it was almost one in the afternoon, so they decided to go downstairs and eat lunch. Ashley went down the stairs first, and when she walked past the living room, she was stopped by numerous people jumping out and yelling: "surprise!"

Ashley was speechless. She really thought her siblings had forgotten about her birthday, but they were actually just waiting until everyone arrived for her birthday party. She realized then that Sharpay only asked for help on her math homework to keep Ashley upstairs and busy so she didn't hear anyone arrive.

"Surprised?" Ryan asked. Ashley merely nodded. "When I realized you had forgotten about your birthday party, I took it upon myself to throw you a surprise party. Well, there's a cake in the kitchen with your name on it, so let's eat!"

Everyone was happy about the prospect of eating. Ashley sat down at the table while everyone sang "happy birthday" to her. Then she blew out the candles. Everyone asked what she wished for, but she refused to tell anyone. She helped Ryan remove the candles from the cake; she cut the cake and handed out the pieces, taking the last piece for herself. She decided to eat her cake outside, hoping to avoid people.

"Trying to avoid your own party?" Ashley turned around and saw Chad sitting at the patio table. She sat down across from him.

"No, just you."

"I'm hurt." He feigned an injured look. "Why would you want to avoid me?"

"Hmm. . . Let me think. . ."

"Oh, never mind. I'd rather not hear the insults you're going to come up with. So how old are you? I never did catch that bit of information."

"I'm sixteen. How did Ryan arrange this whole surprise party without my knowing about it? He's not the best at planning things."

"He just handed out the invitations he said you made awhile back and told us all not to mention the party to you. He told everyone it was going to be a surprise party. How could you possibly forget your own birthday though? I mean, I know I start counting down when it's still two months away!"

Ashley laughed but made no comment. She knew exactly why she'd forgotten about her birthday, but she wasn't going to tell anyone that, least of all Chad. She wasn't ready to face what happened. She just wanted to forget the whole thing and forget about Dylan.

"Ashley?" She looked up at Chad. "You alright? You went quiet all of a sudden."

"I'm fine. When is your birthday?"

"Not for awhile; it's in November. Do you like the cake? Gabriella and Troy picked it out."

"It's great. I should go thank them. If you had picked it out it would have been a disaster," she told him smiling.

Ashley threw her empty plate away inside and searched for Gabriella to thank her for her help with the party. She ran into Troy first, who was talking with Zeke about the next basketball season. They both wished her a happy birthday. She thanked them for that and for helping with her party. Next, she went in search of Gabriella, who was sitting on the couch talking with Taylor about their chemistry homework. Ashley thanked them both for helping with her party, and they both wished her a happy birthday.

Once everyone had been thanked for coming to and/or helping with the party, it was time to open presents. Each person gave her something; most gave her a card with money inside. Her siblings gave her unique gifts because they knew her better. Ryan gave her a boxed set of old classic musicals. Sharpay gave her a complete outfit: a cute blue skirt, a white blouse, a pair of sparkling blue earrings, and some white heels.

When all the presents had been opened, she thanked everyone again. It was then she realized she never opened a gift from Chad. She looked around and didn't see him anywhere inside. She went back outside and found him sitting in the same chair.

"I never opened a gift from you," she told him.

"I know. I didn't feel like having you open my gift in front of everyone and causing a scene."

He handed her a plain envelope with her name written on it, in Chad's chicken scratch handwriting. She opened the envelope and found two pieces of paper inside. She pulled them out and looked at them. They were tickets to see _Wicked: The Musical_, coming next weekend. She squealed like a little girl and gave Chad a hug.

"Thank you so much!" she told him. Realizing she was still hugging him she let go and stepped back. "But why two tickets?"

"So you can take someone with you. It's no fun seeing a musical alone."

"Oh. Well since you gave them to me, would you like to come?" Chad smiled.

"Sure."

Ashley smiled widely and gave Chad another hug. Then they both went back inside. Ryan announced that it was time to watch a movie, and Ashley got to choose. She chose one of the movies Ryan gave her. At the end of the movie, everyone began leaving. They all wished Ashley happy birthday before leaving though. Chad was the last to leave, due to his car being trapped from being the first to arrive.

When Ashley's parents got home from work, they took her out for a fancy dinner with some of their friends. Ashley talked with Ryan the entire time. Once they were home again, her parents gave her a large check like they did every birthday. Ashley didn't mind. She was looking forward to seeing _Wicked: The Musical_ with Chad next Saturday.


	17. Chapter 17

Ashley arrived at school Monday morning and made it through the entire day without being bothered by Dylan. She only saw him at lunch and in the class they had together after lunch. It stayed that way all week. He never talked to her or went anywhere near her. She was able to push the incident with Dylan to the back of her mind and enjoy the week.

"So what's new with you Ashley?" Gabriella asked her at lunch on Friday.

"Not much. What about you?"

"My teachers are starting to hand out more homework in preparation for the end of classes. I'm looking forward to this weekend though. Troy and I are going water skiing on the lake tomorrow. Do you have any plans for the weekend?"

"Chad and I are going to see _Wicked: The Musical_ tomorrow. He gave me tickets for my birthday and I thought it was only polite to ask him to go with me."

"Chad got you _Wicked_ tickets?" Gabriella asked, surprised. "Those sold out within ten minutes of being on sale! He must have really wanted to get them for you. What kind of seats are they?"

"They're balcony seats, but I don't mind. I'm just so excited to get to see _Wicked_. Ever since I heard some of the songs off the soundtrack I've been waiting to see it." Ashley spent the rest of lunch explaining to Gabriella what _Wicked_ was about.

At home, Ashley went through her closet trying to decide what to wear to the musical. She knew the theatre was fancy, but she didn't think it would require her to wear an evening gown. She finally decided on the outfit. It was dressy enough, but still casual and comfortable. Chad told her after school when he'd pick her up so she knew when to be ready by. They weren't eating dinner together before the show, which assured Ashley that it wasn't a date.

During the day on Saturday, Ashley did her homework and helped her siblings with theirs. She swam some laps in the pool and then read a book until it was time for dinner. She ate with her family, which was a tiresome affair as always. No one said much. The meal consisted of steak, mashed potatoes, peas, and wine for her parents. She had a glass of water as usual. When they finished dinner, she went to her room to get dressed for the play. Finished prepping, she waited downstairs for Chad. When the doorbell rang, she opened the door for Chad.

"You look nice," Ashley commented. Chad was wearing black dress pants, a crimson button down shirt, and a black dress coat was slung over his arm.

"So do you," Chad told her. Ashley wore a black skirt reaching to her ankles, black boots, and a powder blue, silky, sleeveless shirt. "Are you ready to go?" he asked. Ashley nodded and left with Chad. It was a long drive to the theatre, so they enjoyed the ride by talking and listening to music.

"How did you know I wanted to see _Wicked_?"

"I asked Ryan what I should get you since I didn't know of anything. I'm really bad at picking out presents for people. When I had to give Taylor a present for her birthday I asked Gabriella what to get her. Ryan told me you liked musicals, and I knew _Wicked_ was coming to town, so I figured tickets would make a good present. I'm glad I was right."

"Are you and Taylor still friends?"

"Yes. We don't hang out a lot, but we worked things out and we can stand being around each other now. What about you and Dylan? Do you still talk to him?"

Ashley thought about Dylan, and memories of the night he raped her came flooding back. She pushed them back down, and answered Chad's question. "No, we don't talk." Thankfully, Chad didn't pursue the subject but switched the conversation to discussing school.

They talked about homework, everything Chad hadn't done and what Ashley had already completed. Chad asked her what classes she planned to take next year. Ashley asked him the same question. She also asked him about college plans and where he planned on going. He mentioned some schools in California but hadn't decided on one yet. She mentioned her thoughts about going to schools in Arizona.

When they arrived at the theatre Chad parked and they walked into the building. The man taking their tickets told them where to go. Their seats were in the center of the row and the front row of the balcony. While they waited for the show to start, Ashley explained for a second time what _Wicked_ was about. Music came from the pit and Ashley stopped talking so she could watch the show.

Chad enjoyed the show, but couldn't focus the entire time. While the music played and performers sang, he thought about his conversation with Ashley earlier in the car. _It was obvious she didn't want to talk about Dylan when I asked about him. I always wondered about him, but I never had any real proof. Maybe I was right, and Ashley isn't ready to talk about what happened. If that's the case, I should avoid that subject for awhile. But if he did beat her, she should tell someone so he gets in trouble for it. He shouldn't get away with hurting her. He deserves to be punished. When she's ready to talk, I'm going to find out what happened to her and deal with Dylan if I need to._

"Chad?" He turned to Ashley and noticed the lights were on again. "It's intermission; if you need to get up and stretch, now's the time to do it."

Chad stood up to let Ashley pass by. He stayed by their seats and waited for her to return from the bathroom. He didn't need to go or stretch his legs, but standing did feel good. Ashley came back and reached the edge of their row when the lights went out. Chad sat down and waited for her to get down the row. She finally arrived at her seat, but lost her balance when she missed a step. He caught her before she fell and guided her to her seat.

"Thanks," she whispered.

"No problem," he whispered back.

Ashley was glad he couldn't see her blush. She felt stupid for tripping just in front of her seat. She forgot about the incident when the next song began. Lost in the story and music, she was disappointed when the show ended and she was forced back into the real world. She stood up when she clapped and joined the crowd in giving the performers a standing ovation. Chad stood up with her, though she knew it was because she did more than for being amazed at the performance.

When it was clear there was to be no encore performance, Chad and Ashley made their way through the crowd and outside. The cool night air made Ashley shiver, regretting the absence of a jacket.

"Here." Chad handed her his dress coat.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. You're cold and I don't need it." Ashley accepted it and thanked him.

They got into the car and waited for a break in the stream of cars. When one appeared, Chad pulled into the line of cars waiting to exit the parking lot and start on their way home. It took twenty minutes to get out, but neither Chad nor Ashley minded. They talked the entire time about all sorts of subjects. Only when they reached Ashley's house did they realize how long they had been talking.

"Thanks for giving me tickets and coming with me," Ashley said. Chad walked her to the front door, trying to be a gentleman.

"No problem. It was fun."

"It was." Chad stood there smiling at her. Neither seemed to really want to end the night. Chad slowly started leaning in, but Ashley stopped him with her next sentence. "Well, I guess I'll see you on Monday." Chad snapped back to reality.

"See you then," he said.

Chad waited until Ashley got inside before leaving. He scolded himself for trying to kiss her. Of course she didn't think of him like that. They were only friends. And even if she did, she probably wasn't ready for another relationship so soon after breaking up with Dylan. By the time he reached his own house, he'd convinced himself he'd never do that again.


	18. Chapter 18

Ashley enjoyed the first half of school on Monday. Her classes went well and she had no homework by lunchtime. Before she joined her siblings at lunch, she stopped by her locker to exchange books. While she was standing there, Dylan walked over to her.

"Hello Ashley," he said smoothly. She ignored him, determined not to let him ruin her day. "You're not going to answer me?" he asking, sounding hurt. "Fine then, but before I leave, I think I should point out that you look like you've gained some weight. Maybe," he paused before lowering his voice to finish his sentence, "you're pregnant."

Ashley dropped the books she just extracted from her locked. She looked at Dylan, who only smiled and walked away. She had never thought about the possibility of getting pregnant. _I know Dylan didn't use protection when he raped me, but surely I can't be pregnant. And how could he tell this early on, even if I were pregnant? There's no way he could know. He probably only said that to upset me. But maybe I should eat less so I won't gain any weight and Dylan won't be able to say I'm pregnant._

She gathered her books off the floor and made her way to her usual table, with her siblings and their friends. The only available seat was between Sharpay and Troy. As she looked around the table she noticed that Taylor still ate with them and seemed to be completely over her break up with Chad because she was joking and talking with him like everyone else. Zeke's baking hobby had been accepted by everyone, especially because it provided them with cookies at lunch once a week. Sharpay and Gabriella talked to each other, mostly about clothes and drama stuff, but occasionally Gabriella was seen giving Sharpay help with school work. Troy and Chad often talked about basketball, but sometimes they included Ryan in their conversations which meant talking about other topics. Ashley was the only one that didn't talk to many of the people sitting at her table. She talked to her siblings, Chad, and occasionally Gabriella. _Perhaps its time I changed that,_ she thought.

"So Troy, where do you plan on going to college?" she asked the basketball star. She talked with him for all of lunch about different colleges and the importance of scholarships. She purposely kept their conversation going to avoid eating. She thought that if she could stay busy at lunch with talking to people, maybe she could avoid eating lunch altogether. Then she would be sure of not gaining weight and stopping Dylan from calling her pregnant.

This became a pattern for the rest of the week. Dylan always appeared by her locker before lunch and called her pregnant or fat. This only strengthened her resolve to eat as little as possible to lose weight so he would stop saying those things. She never ate lunch, but instead talked to a different person eat day. On Tuesday she talked with Zeke about baking, on Wednesday with Kelsi and her future as a pianist, on Thursday with Jason about his college major, and on Friday with Chad about the government. During her conversation with Chad though, he interrupted her explanation of the 25th amendment in the Constitution with a question.

"Why haven't you been eating lunch all week?" Ashley was caught off guard by his question. She was sure that no one would notice her lack of food intake. Apparently Chad was more observant than she gave him credit for.

"Why have you been keeping track of my eating habits?" she countered.

"I'm not keeping track, especially since I don't know what you eat at home, but I have noticed that you've been talking to people a lot more and eating a lot less. I just want to know why."

"I decided I wanted to get to know the rest of the people who sit at this table better."

"That's not what I asked. Why are you avoiding this question so much?"

"I'm not avoiding the question."

"Yes you are."

Ashley sighed. He wasn't going to give up. She admired that about him. He had an extremely one-track mind, which was great for some things, but not so great in others.

"I just haven't been hungry during lunch recently, that's all."

"I don't believe that."

"Well I can't help it if you don't believe me, but that's the reason."

Chad gave her a side-long glance, but let the matter drop. They resumed their previous conversation, but Ashley could tell Chad was still thinking about it. She decided that she would eat small lunches a few times a week during the next two weeks, the last two weeks of the school year, and she would just not eat at home anymore. No one ever saw her eat breakfast anyway, so only dinner would cause a problem. She could only use the same excuse so many times, so she would have to come up with plausible explanations for not eating dinner.

That evening, when she was called down to dinner, she told her parents that she'd already eaten dinner, so she wasn't hungry. They accepted her excuse and she just had to sit at the dinner table until the family was finished. Her stomach grumbled at one point, but it was covered up by the phone ringing. She made a similar excuse for dinner Sunday night, having been alone in the house all day with no one to contest her claim.

On Monday, after another encounter with Dylan, she ate a small salad for lunch and knew Chad was watching her. She hated to think about what he was surely thinking about her. She knew he wondered if she was becoming anorexic, and in reality, she wondered if she was too. She was scared to realize how easy it was to develop the eating disorder and hoped she would be able to stop when she no longer had to see Dylan.

_Of course I'll be able to stop,_ she told herself. _I'm just paranoid now because of Chad. Once school ends I won't have to see Dylan anymore and I'll be able to start eating again without anyone calling me fat or pregnant._

For the rest of the week, Dylan started passing her in the hallway and whispering insults about her weight, in addition to meeting her by her locker at lunchtime. She ate lunch on Wednesday and Friday. She continued to talk to different people every day, but Chad interrupted her pattern by saving her a seat on Friday so he could talk to her.

"Enjoying your salad?" he asked her.

"Yes, why? Do you have something against salads?"

"No, just with you only eating salad three days this week and nothing else for lunch during the past two weeks. Is there something you're not telling anyone?"

"Like what?" She knew Chad didn't want to voice his opinion that he thought she had anorexia, and she hoped he would drop the subject after being asked point blank. He proved her wrong.

"I think you have anorexia, and I think you know it too." Ashley said nothing, just stared down at her salad without eating it. "Why are you doing this? You've never been good at hiding things, but this is a little too obvious. So why aren't you eating?" Still Ashley said nothing. "Did someone say something to you?"

Ashley had had enough. She shoved her bowl of salad away and left the table. Everyone looked at Chad, silently asking him what he'd done to make Ashley leave. Troy finally verbalized the question when Chad said nothing.

"What did you say to her?"

"I didn't say anything," Chad told everyone. Decided to avoid further questioning, he threw his and Ashley's food away and left the table as well. Everyone began wondering why both Chad and Ashley left the table.

After school Ryan told Ashley that he and Sharpay had to stay after school to plan the drama club's "End-of-the-Year" party. Troy was waiting to take her home. She went out to the parking lot and found Troy waiting by his truck. Gabriella had gone home with Taylor to study for their AP Chemistry final. When they were on the road to Ashley's house, Troy started a conversation with a question.

"So why did you and Chad leave the lunch table early today?" She was surprised to hear that Chad had also left the table.

"I didn't know Chad left the table. I don't know why he did either."

"Well what were you two talking about?" Ashley knew she couldn't tell him, but she didn't know what else to say.

"That's none of your business," she told him. After that she remained silent. After several failed attempts to find out what the conversation had been about, Troy decided to switch topics.

"Are you ready for your finals in two weeks?"

"Yes. Are you?"

"No. Gabriella is supposed to help me study over the weekend. I think Chad might come because I know he needs to study as much as me. You can come over too if you want. I'll have Gabriella call you when she knows when she's coming over." They pulled up to Ashley's house and Ashley thanked Troy for the ride. He drove away after she got the front door open. Once inside, she found separate notes from her parents on the table. Her father's explained that he had been called away on urgent business and her mother said she was having a girls' weekend over at a resort with some of her friends. Ashley was glad that she wouldn't have to worry about covering up her lack of eating to her parents the whole weekend. She only had to worry about Ryan and Sharpay noticing, and with their planning the drama club party, there was little chance of them noticing anything but that.


	19. Chapter 19

Ashley woke up Saturday hungry. It had been two weeks since her last decent meal, and she was beginning to feel the effects. Unlike most of her peers, she ate three relatively balanced meals a day. Rarely did she miss a meal, and if she did, she made up for it later. Going without food, especially for so long, was something entirely new and difficult for her. Still, her resolve to not gain any weight, rather to lose weight, so Dylan would stop calling her pregnant and fat, was as strong as ever.

Sharpay and Ryan left mid-afternoon to meet some other members of the drama club and continue the planning for the party. Ashley got a call from Gabriella inviting her to the study session at Troy's house from four on. Ashley at first said no, but then thought maybe she could help tutor Troy or Chad, since she was probably smarter than both of them. Ashley got ready quickly and walked to Troy's house, which took her twenty minutes. She enjoyed the exercise.

"So what do you need to study?" Taylor asked Ashley when she was two steps past the door.

"I don't need to study anything myself, I just thought I could help tutor other people. Troy told me yesterday that he needs help studying."

"Well, that's a given," Taylor said.

Someone else knocked on the door, and Troy opened it to let Chad in. Ashley avoided eye contact and moved to the couch by Gabriella. Chad noticed her cold greeting, but ignored it for the moment to greet everyone else in the room. A total of six people showed up: Troy, Gabriella, Taylor, Chad, Ashley, and Zeke, who brought cookies for everyone. He called them necessary brain food. Troy obviously paired up with Gabriella, and Zeke asked Taylor to help him with Chemistry, which left Ashley to tutor Chad. Ashley couldn't refuse; otherwise, she would have to explain to the others her last conversation with Chad.

"So what kind of tutoring do you need?" she asked him.

"I need help with English, mostly writing essays."

Ashley went into teacher mode, explaining, in simple terms, the best way to write an essay in the shortest amount of time to get the best grade. She told him helpful tips to remember rules of grammar and easy ways to figure out how to spell words correctly. Convinced he was ready, she gave him a sample topic to write an essay on and used her watch to time him. While he was writing she looked over at the other pairs. Troy and Gabriella were sitting at the kitchen table pouring over math books and papers with different formulas written on them. Taylor and Zeke each sat in one of the recliners going over the periodic table of elements and different bits of information about each one. She and Chad were sitting on the bottom step of the stairs. While she was watching, Zeke opened the lunch box he'd brought with him. She smelled the cookies before she saw him pull one out. They had obviously been baked earlier that day because they looked soft and delicate, like they would start melting in your hand if you didn't eat them quick enough. Ashley's stomach growled softly. She quickly turned away from the cookies and faced Chad again, only to find him staring intently at her.

"Hungry?" he asked her.

"No," she said quickly. "Are you finished with your essay?"

"No, just the outline. How could I have finished my essay in the few minutes I've had?" She shrugged. "But since Zeke has alerted me to the presence of fresh-baked cookies, I think it's break time. Would you like me to bring you one?"

"No thanks."

"Are you sure? Your stomach sounded like it wanted one when you were looking at them a moment ago. Let me guess, you ate before you came."

"As a matter of fact I did."

Chad rolled his eyes, walked over to Zeke, and grabbed two cookies. Then he came back and held one out to Ashley. She shook her head, so he set it on her lap instead.

"Ash, I haven't seen you eat much in the past two weeks. I know we disagreed about this at lunch yesterday, but I'm worried about you."

"There's no need to be worried. I just haven't been hungry at lunch time recently. Besides, I ate salad three times this past week."

"Two times, actually. You didn't eat your salad on Friday because you left it to get away from me. Just eat the cookie while I sit here and finish this essay." Chad went back to writing the essay. As he suggested, Ashley ate the cookie he gave her, deciding that one cookie wouldn't hurt her.

When Chad finished his essay, she graded it and then went over it with him, explaining his mistakes and the corrections she made. By that time the sun had set and the others were beginning to talk about dinner. Ashley didn't want to make excuses about not eating dinner in front of Chad, so she told everyone she had to get home. It was lie, because she'd left a note for her siblings telling them where she was so they wouldn't worry, but no one had to know that. Chad refused to let her walk home by herself at night; he insisted on driving her home.

"So what's so pressing that you have to get home in a hurry?" Chad asked her.

"I left my parents a note saying I'd be home by seven. Unlike you, I enjoy spending time with my family."

"I enjoy spending time with my family too. Let me ask you a question, do you enjoy spending time with your _whole_ family?"

"Well, most of the time. Actually my parents are gone a lot so I don't get to spend a lot of time with them. I usually just hang out with Sharpay and Ryan." They arrived at her house quickly. When Ashley got out of the car and stood up, she stopped and held onto the door for a minute.

"Are you alright?" Chad asked. He got out of the car and walked over to her.

"I'm fine," she told him. "I just stood up too fast, that's all." She smiled at him and laughed when he walked her to her door. "You don't have to escort me to the door Chad."

"I just want to make sure you're okay."

He thanked her for her help with his essay writing skills and drove away when she was inside the house. While he drove back he thought about her dizzy spell. He wondered if it had anything to do with her appearing to eat less. _Perhaps she eating even less than I'm aware of,_ he thought.

Over the next two weeks Chad watched Ashley closely. She never sat next to him again; instead she usually sat next to Sharpay. This allowed her to avoid most conversation because Sharpay hardly let her get into the conversations. She never ate lunch. She appeared paler than usual and seemed to experience more dizzy spells. He tried talking to her a few times, but she either ignored him or told him she was fine and to stop worrying about her. He didn't believe her. He knew something was wrong. He got his chance to find out what on the last day of school. Ryan told him that he and Sharpay had a drama club party after school and asked if Chad could take Ashley home. Chad agreed.

"Ashley!" he yelled through the hallway. He caught up to her at her locker after school was let out for summer vacation. "Ryan asked me to give you a ride home because he and Sharpay have some drama party after school." He heard Ashley sigh.

"Fine."

Ashley followed him to his car and waited for him to open the door. She set her books on the floor and then stopped. She held onto the door for a minute, and Chad wondered how long this dizzy spell would last. Then she clutched her stomach for a minute before letting go of the door and falling to the ground. Chad ran over and yelled her name. She appeared to be unconscious.

Chad called 911 and the ambulance was there within minutes, due to the hospital only being a few miles away. He rode with her inside and was told to wait in the waiting room at the hospital while they ran tests to figure out what was wrong. While he waited he called both Ryan and Sharpay, but neither answered their cell phones. He guessed they probably couldn't hear the phone ring because of the party. No one answered their phones. Most people were celebrating about summer vacation. He didn't know how to get a hold of Ashley's parents. So all he could do was wait for someone to call back. After thirty minutes a doctor came out and called him over.

"Have you contacted her family?" he asked Chad. Chad told him everything he'd been doing while he waited. "Very well. I'll tell you what I know and if you feel comfortable you can tell the family yourself or have me do it. Miss Evans was severely undernourished, which caused her to collapse. Do you have any idea how long she was starving herself?" Chad now knew that when she'd stopped eating lunch, she'd stopped eating altogether. He told the doctor about four weeks. "That makes sense. Also, she had a miscarriage, so her pregnancy added to her malnourishment."

"Miscarriage?" Chad asked, confused.

"Yes. She was about six weeks along as far as we can tell. She was not only starving herself but her child as well. If you want to visit her, you can. She's awake now." Chad nodded and followed the doctor to Ashley's room. She was hooked up to an IV and different machines. She looked as if she'd been crying.

"Hey Ash, how're you feeling?" She said nothing. "The doctor told me everything. What happened?" She took a deep breath before telling him.

"Dylan raped me a week after prom. I didn't know I was pregnant."

"And why were you starving yourself?"

"Dylan was calling me fat and saying it must be because I was pregnant. I didn't like it, so I stopped eating, telling myself that if I lost some weight he'd stop saying those things to me. But he never did. I don't think he knew I was pregnant. He just wanted to hurt me." Chad said nothing. He was furious with Dylan for everything he'd put Ashley through. "Chad, promise me you won't tell anyone what I just told you. I don't want anyone else to know about what happened with Dylan. Promise me, please?"

Chad agreed not to tell anyone. She also made him promise not to hurt Dylan. She sensed he was angry about what Dylan did to her and didn't want Chad to get into any trouble over anything he might do. Chad agreed to that too. Their conversation was cut short when Chad got a call from Ryan. Chad told him where they were and Ryan said he and Sharpay would be there momentarily.


	20. Chapter 20

Ryan and Sharpay arrived a few minutes after Ryan called. They rushed into the room and demanded to know exactly what happened. Ashley told them she collapsed by Chad's car after school because she felt ill. She felt fine now and nothing was wrong with her. She asked if Ryan called their parents to let them know.

"Yes, I called them after I hung up with Chad. Dad was in a meeting so his secretary will tell him the minute he's out. Mom didn't answer her phone so I left a message." Ashley wasn't surprised. Her parents rarely gave her the same kind of attention they gave to Sharpay and Ryan. This time they probably would have come right away, but Ryan hadn't even been able to reach them. She shrugged it off and listened to Ryan's next question. "Did the doctor say when you'd be free to leave?"

"He said they're keeping me overnight for observation, but I should be free to go home tomorrow. It's a good thing school's out or I'd have to miss a day."

"Who cares about school when you're in the hospital?" Sharpay said.

"You never cared about school regardless of who's in the hospital," Ashley teased.

Sharpay and Ryan took the seats to the left of Ashley's bed. Chad stepped out for a few minutes, but came back in and sat on Ashley's right. Ashley asked Sharpay and Ryan how the drama club party went. Sharpay went into great detail and just started talking about the other people at the party when three people walked into the room. Troy, Gabriella, and Taylor all said hello and told her they hoped she got better. She smiled and laughed when she realized there were no chairs for them to sit in.

"How did you find out I was in the hospital? I've only been here a little over an hour."

"Chad called me," Troy said. "I told Gabriella because she was with me, and she called Taylor. Gabriella and I drove straight here, picking up Taylor on the way." Ashley decided to deal with Chad later, after everyone else left.

"Well I'm feeling fine now. None of you have to stay."

"Nonsense," Gabriella said. "We came because we wanted to make sure you were fine, but that doesn't mean we're going to leave just as quickly. Now that we're here we want to make sure you're okay while you're in the hospital."

"I appreciate that, but the doctor will probably come in soon and freak out when he sees how many people are in my room. I'm going home tomorrow, so you can all visit me then."

As if to enforce her words, the doctor did come in right then. His eyes grew large when he counted six people in her room. He shooed them out, telling them only three people were allowed to visit at a time. He also repeated Ashley's statement that she probably would return home tomorrow. Until then she needed to rest. Everyone left, promising to visit her tomorrow. Chad, however, asked the doctor if he could stay a little longer. The doctor agreed, but made him leave while he gave Ashley a check up.

"Doctor, isn't there something like patient/physician privacy?" The doctor nodded, curiosity etched on his face. "I would appreciate it if you'd let me be the one to tell my parents everything. I'd rather tell them at home, so if there's a scene it's not here at the hospital." The doctor agreed, and Chad came back in.

"I thought you might stick around," Ashley said. "Why did you call Troy?" she asked as he sat down next to her bed.

"I wanted to let him know why I wasn't at his house for the end-of-the-year party." Ashley looked at him skeptically. "And I figured he would tell Gabriella, who would tell Taylor, and then three more people would show up to show you just how many people care about you." He paused, then added, "I just don't understand. Why didn't you tell anyone about Dylan?"

"I didn't want you or anyone else to do anything to him, which I knew you would if I told you, because I didn't want you to get in trouble. I never actually thought he'd rape me," she said softly. Chad knew his old suspicions about Dylan were right, but he needed to know everything.

"What all did Dylan do to you?" Ashley told him everything she could remember about her relationship with Dylan. She explained all of her injuries, including her beating on prom night. She told him what she overheard that night and how she ended up lying on her driveway, practically unconscious. She even mentioned Dylan's jealousy over her friendship with Chad, and noticed Chad smiled briefly at its mention. "So why did you stay with him?"

"I've asked myself that question many times. There were ways I convinced myself during those weeks, but I finally figured out that something had to change. That's what I told him before spring break, and when he came back he seemed completely different. But at prom, well, you know what happened. I know now that I can't change the guy."

"That's true. You just have to pick the right one." Ashley looked at him, having been staring out her window, and found him staring back at her. She had fleeting thoughts of what lay behind that statement, secretly wishing she'd dated him instead of Dylan. She blushed and looked away. Through her peripheral vision she saw Chad smile.

"I'll let you get some rest," he told her. "Once you're home I'll come bother you some more."

He said good-bye and left. When he was gone she wondered what was going through his head during the last part of their conversation. She had always like Chad, ever since she met him on her first day of school. He'd always been nice to her, giving her rides home and she especially liked that he didn't treat her like Sharpay and Ryan's little sister. She always tried to be careful because he was dating Taylor, though. When they broke up, and she broke up with Dylan, she wondered if maybe there was a chance, but he never treated as anything more than a friend. _Until a few minutes ago._

---------

Ashley's parents never came to see her on Thursday. Instead, they showed up Friday afternoon, bringing Sharpay and Ryan with them. The doctor confirmed that Ashley was well enough to go home. The hospital provided a wheelchair to get her to the car outside. From there she was on her own. Ryan helped her get in and out of the car. Once she was inside the house, her parents made sure she didn't need anything else before they left. They had an important meeting to attend together. Sharpay also left, going to a party with some of her friends.

"So Ashley, it's your first day of summer vacation. What do you want to do?" Ryan asked her.

"Rest," she said simply. "I hate hospitals. I hope I never have to go to one again."

"I hope so too. That was your second visit this semester." Ashley remembered her first visit, when Dylan beat her up after prom. "But enough talk about that. Do you need help getting up to your room?"

"No, I want to try to get there on my own first." Ryan nodded and let her stand up on her own. She walked all the way to the bottom of the stair case without help. When she reached it, someone knocked on the door. She waited while Ryan answered it.

"Hi Chad," she heard him say. She smiled to herself. _He did promise to come visit me,_ Ashley thought.

"Can I see Ashley, or is now not a good time?" Ashley was looking at the door, and saw Chad peer around Ryan to look inside the house. He saw her and smiled.

"It's up to her." Ryan looked at Ashley.

"He can come in, I suppose," she said. She walked back over to the couch where she had been sitting only a few moments ago. Chad sat next to her. Ryan went into the kitchen to get some lunch, leaving the two alone. "So what brings you here?" she asked Chad.

"I told you I'd visit you. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine. It's not like I'm an invalid or anything."

"Now that would be a tragedy," he teased. "Do you have any plans for this summer?"

"Ryan asked me that question a few minutes ago. No, I don't have any plans yet. Why? Do you have something inside that brain of yours?"

"I might, but we can talk about that later. For now, how about we take a drive? There's a park not too far from here that would be a great place to take a walk, especially on a beautiful day like today. What do you say?"

"I'd love to take a walk, but first let me change out of the clothes I wore yesterday. And how about you let Ryan know you're kidnapping me while I change."

She went upstairs and changed into a new outfit. She also quickly washed her face and put on a fresh layer of make-up. While she was upstairs freshening up, Chad walked into the kitchen and told Ryan what he was doing. Ashley came down a few minutes later and Chad walked her out to the car. He helped her in and then they drove a few minutes to get to the park.

"It is a nice day out," Ashley commented. She got out of the car and noticed Chad had a basket in one hand. "What's in the basket?"

"You'll find out."

They walked around the park for awhile, talking about all sorts of things. Finally Chad stopped them. Ashley noticed they were standing in the shade from a large tree, quite a ways away from the park area. Chad opened up his basket and pulled out a blanket which he laid on the ground, in the shade. Then Ashley saw food in the basket.

"You planned a picnic?" she asked, surprised. He smiled at her and gestured for her to sit on the blanket. She smiled back, still wondering about his creative abilities. Obviously she had underestimated them.

"I did. You seem surprised. You didn't think I could plan something like this, much less pull it off?" She shook her head and he smiled in triumph. "I'm glad I surprised you. Now, I hope you're hungry." He pulled out different foods from inside the basket. There was fried chicken, potato salad, coleslaw, and cookies from Zeke for dessert. He also had paper plates, plastic utensils, and napkins.

"You thought of everything, didn't you?" He nodded. "So what is this, some kind of date?"

"Maybe." Ashley looked up at that, and Chad looked away. She thought she saw him blushing. "I've liked you for a long time, but I was dating Taylor and you were dating Dylan. Now though. . ." He trailed off, waiting for her to respond. Ashley thought for a minute, wondering what she should say.

"I like you too, so I guess that makes this an official date." Chad beamed.

They continued talking and eating for a few hours. When the sun started setting, Chad gathered the leftovers, trash, and blanket into the basket and helped Ashley up. He led her back to his car and drove her home. He walked her to the door, and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before letting her go inside. Once inside, Ryan asked her if she enjoyed herself and why she'd been out so long. She smiled.

"Chad and I had our first date," she told him. She watched as his eyes grew large and his mouth dropped open.

"You and Chad what?"

"We're dating," she told him. She left him there, standing like that, and went up to her room to go to bed. She knew, without a doubt, that her relationship with Chad would work out much better that the one with Dylan.


	21. Chapter 21

Ashley woke up happy. She was finally dating Chad. Downstairs in the kitchen, she ran into Ryan. He was sitting at the table eating breakfast by himself.

"Morning," she said cheerily.

"You're in an awfully good mood this morning," he said.

"Yep." They both knew why she was so happy. She grabbed two apples out of the bowl on the table and headed back to her room.

Ashley took her time getting ready. She had a feeling Chad would drop by and she wanted to look nice for him. She put on a pair of jean capris, a white tank top underneath a black tank top, and a pair of black flats. During the morning she sat on the couch reading a book. When Ashley decided to eat lunch in the afternoon, the doorbell rang. Ryan beat her to the door.

"Hello Chad," she heard Ryan say.

"Hey Ryan, is Ashley here?"

"Yes, I'm here." Ashley stepped around Ryan to get to the doorway. "What brings you here today?" she asked him. Ryan left the two alone. He didn't mind Ashley dating Chad. Chad was a good guy, and even if he did treat Ashley badly, Ryan could get the whole basketball team to beat him up.

"I was just wondering if you had any plans for today?"

"As a matter of fact I do." Chad looked surprised. "I am going to hang out with you, unless you have any objections."

"Nope. Does Ryan mind?"

"No, he's fine. It's Sharpay you'll have to worry about, once she finds out. So do you have anything specific in mind for today?"

Chad nodded and she followed him out to his car. He drove her to his house, refusing to tell her what he had planned. Once they got inside his house, he led her to the backyard, where there was a miniature basketball court. He picked up the basketball sitting on the ground and spun it on his finger.

"Do you know how to play basketball?"

"No."

"Well today I'm going to teach you how. Actually, I was afraid you'd be wearing a skirt or something when I picked you up."

"And obviously I can't learn to play basketball in a skirt now can I? So, what's the first thing I need to know about playing basketball?"

"First you have to come onto the court." Ashley laughed and joined Chad on the court. "Next, you have to be holding the ball." He tossed her the ball and she caught it with both hands in front of her chest. "Good. I wasn't sure if you'd catch it." Ashley gave him a skeptical look.

Chad quit teasing her after that and got somewhat serious in teaching her. He tried to get her to learn the rules, but she only got confused so he stuck to the basics. After about an hour he taught her the proper way to shoot a basket. He stood behind her, placing her body in the right position, and guiding her arms through the movement of throwing the ball. While he was showing her this, Ashley was glad he was behind her so he couldn't see her blushing.

"Okay, now try it on your own." She tried to mimic the movements he'd shown her, and managed to get the ball into the hoop, but just barely. "Good, for your first try." Ashley tried again and made another basket, gaining more confidence. "I think it's time you learned more about dribbling and stealing."

Ashley followed his lead. She let him teach her what he knew and tried to remember it all. She did alright when he went easy on her during practice, so he told her it was time for a real one-on-one match between them.

Chad gave her the ball to start with and told her to try to get around him and make a basket. She dribbled the ball, keeping it below her waist to maintain control over it. She tried to go to his right, but he blocked her. She backed up a little and tried going around his left. He blocked her again. She remembered him saying you could try backing into you opponent to force them backwards, so she tried that. Unfortunately, Chad had been expecting that and used it to his advantage. He grabbed her around the waist, pulled her back against him, and lifted her into the air.

"No fair, you're cheating!" she yelled at him. She struggled to get out of his grip, the basketball game forgotten. He held onto her tightly, fighting to gain some kind of upper hand. After a few minutes, they both tumbled onto the grass, which covered the other part of the backyard. Chad rolled off of Ashley. They looked at each other and started laughing.

"Why on earth did you do that?" Ashley asked.

"I don't know, I just felt like it." After a few seconds, they started laughing again.

Chad rolled over to Ashley and sat up half way, so his torso was above her and one arm on each side. They had both stopped laughing, and Chad slowly closed the distance between them. She put her arms around his neck and pulled him the rest of the way down so they could kiss. The kiss didn't last long. When they pulled apart, Chad looked at her and kissed her again, this time making the kiss deeper. Suddenly Ashley pulled away from the kiss. She pushed Chad away to give herself room to sit up. She turned her face away from him.

"Ashley?" Chad looked at her, confused by her actions. One minute they were enjoying a kiss and the next she was pushing him away like they'd done something wrong. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Chad tried to get her to look at him, but she only turned her head away.

"Ash, I know something's wrong, so just tell me what it is." After a few more minutes of coaxing, Ashley finally told him what was bothering her.

"It's just that, I started thinking about Dylan, because he's the only other boy I've kissed. And then I thought about when he raped me, and how I was pregnant but didn't know it so I killed the baby inside me. . ."

Ashley couldn't go on because she was crying too hard. Chad pulled her into his arms and held her. He had no idea what to say, so he remained silent and rubbed her back. Finally she stopped crying and looked up at Chad. He knew he needed to say something to her, to try and make her feel better.

"If you're not ready, then just tell me and I'll slow down. I don't want to force you into anything."

"No. I'm sorry for breaking down on you like that."

"You don't have to apologize. You've been through a lot this semester, so it's only natural for you to be emotional. Like I said before though, I'll back off if you want me to." Ashley shook her head.

"No. Dylan did put me through a lot, but I'm not going to let that spoil my chance to be with you."

They stayed like that, sitting in the grass, for another hour. They talked about different things, including their plans for the barbeque, and finally Chad drove Ashley home. She saw Sharpay first when she entered the house, so she quickly ran up to her room and shut the door. She knew her eyes were still red and puffy from crying and she didn't want Sharpay asking why. Thankfully Sharpay was too busy preparing for Sunday's barbeque to notice more than Ashley walking through the door. So Ashley snuck outside and spent the rest of the afternoon swimming in the pool. That evening, with both parents out to dinner together, she ate dinner with Ryan and watched a musical before bed.

Sunday morning Ashley was woken up by Sharpay banging on her door.

"Wake up! I have to go shopping for a few things so I need you to supervise the preparations downstairs!"

"Get Ryan to do it," Ashley said from her bed.

"Ryan's coming with me to do the shopping. So get up already!"

Ashley groaned, but did as Sharpay said and got out of bed. She put on a pair of jeans and green, sleeveless top before going downstairs. Sharpay and Ryan drove off, Ryan looking about as awake as Ashley felt.

Ashley walked around the house, observing the workers cleaning the house and the chef cooking the food in the backyard. Everyone knew what their jobs were, so Ashley didn't have to tell anyone what to do. In the end she went back upstairs to get a power nap before anyone came over. Some time later, Sharpay was knocking on her door again.

"Get up!" she heard Sharpay yelling. "You have to get downstairs because everyone is going to start arriving soon."

Ashley looked at the clock and realized she'd been able to get another hour of sleep. She put her hair up in a ponytail and put on a little makeup. Then she joined her siblings downstairs and waited for the others to arrive.

Troy arrived first and explained that Gabriella would be a little late because of church. Kelsi came next, bringing Jason with her. Taylor showed up after them, with Zeke following right behind her. Chad arrived shortly after them. Ashley greeted him the same as the others, but left the doorway to walk with him onto the patio outside where everyone else had already taken seats around the food table. Ashley sat between Chad and Kelsi. One open seat was left next to Troy, and he was saving it for Gabriella.

Everyone enjoyed eating and talking to the people sitting around them. Ashley got into a conversation with Kelsi about her ideas for another school musical. About an hour later, the doorbell rang and Troy jumped up to get it, knowing it was Gabriella. He brought her back out and Chad teased him about being "whipped."

"Yeah, well at least I've got a girlfriend," Troy teased back. Chad, though, had been waiting for a moment like this.

"What makes you think I don't have a girlfriend?" Chad said, smiling. Troy looked confused. "As a matter of fact, I'm sitting next to her right now."

Troy looked to both sides of Chad. Sharpay sat on Chad's left and Ashley on his right. Troy wasn't the only one trying to figure it out. Everyone else heard what Chad said and wondered who he was dating, everyone except the three Evans'. Both Chad and Ashley had planned out how they would tell the others about their relationship, and they wanted to say it before Sharpay. Unfortunately, she beat them to it.

"Ashley!" Sharpay shouted. "You're dating Chad?!" Ashley nodded. To silence Sharpay from saying anything else, Chad put his arm around Ashley and kissed her in front of everyone. For a moment there was silence, and then everyone started talking at once.

Most were congratulating Chad and Ashley. Troy mentioned something like it being about time. Everyone got up out of their seats, the girls giving hugs to Ashley and congratulating her, the boys giving noogies to Chad and congratulating him. Sharpay was the only one saying nothing. She seemed shocked and unsure of how to react. Ryan pulled her to the side and whispered something to her. After he finished whispering she snapped back to reality and congratulated Chad and her sister. While Chad was swamped with people, Ashley slipped out of the crowd and pulled Ryan to the side.

"What did you say to Sharpay?" she asked him.

"I told her to be happy that her sister was happy." Ashley smiled, and Ryan gave her a hug. They rejoined the group before anyone noticed their separation.

For the rest of the day, they spent time swimming, eating dinner in the evening, and watching a movie before everyone had to leave. For the musical this time, they watched _The Wizard of Oz_. Chad managed to stay awake for the whole movie. When it ended, everyone had to leave. Chad was the last to leave. He and Ashley stood on the front porch after everyone else had gone. Ryan forced Sharpay into the kitchen to give the couple a little privacy. Ashley came in a few minutes later, smiling. Their parents arrived home about a half hour after Chad left and told their kids some big news.

"We've been meeting with some people recently and we've decided to have a wedding vow renewal ceremony," their father told them.

"Wedding vow renewal?" Ashley asked.

"Yes," her mother said. "We want to renew our wedding vows, and we're planning a big ceremony."

"And all of you are going to be part of it," their dad continued. "Sharpay and Ashley, you will be bridesmaids and Ryan you will be a groomsman. This ceremony will take place in seven weeks, and we expect your full cooperation."

Their parents went on to explain many of the details about the wedding and all the meetings, fittings, and planning that would occur over the following weeks. Ashley realized that her plans with Chad would suddenly come fewer and farther between. She decided to tell her parents about her and Chad so she might keep a few days to herself to spend with Chad.

"Oh honey," her mom said, "you'll have time to spend with your boyfriend. Just not as much as before. Tomorrow we have dress fittings in the afternoon and lunch with the wedding planner, since the ceremony will be similar to a wedding, oh and all of your friends are invited of course, so long as they dress appropriately."

Their mother continued talking about plans until their father told her to let them got to bed so they'd be ready for everything tomorrow. Ashley went to bed wondering how the rest of the summer would turn out.


	22. Chapter 22

Ashley woke up to her alarm. She set it early because her mother wanted to get an early start looking at bridesmaid dresses. She got ready and met Sharpay on the way down the stairs. Together they waited in the kitchen for their mother. She walked in twenty minutes later, looking like it was two in the afternoon instead of half past eight in the morning. They got into the car and drove to numerous dress shops, finding the right colors, picking the right style, etc. Their mom wanted the ceremony to be perfect. They ate lunch at one in the afternoon, just before their afternoon dress fitting appointment. During the meal, Ashley asked the question that had been on her mind since her parents told her about their plans.

"Mom, why are you and Dad renewing your wedding vows?"

"Well, so many couples these days are divorcing and we wanted to strengthen our marriage before we got into any problems that might lead to thoughts of divorce. We want to renew our wedding vows and remember why we got married in the first place."

"That's so sweet," Sharpay said.

The conversation continued and eventually they left for the appointment. The meeting was in a dress shop owned by a designer from France. He was a personal friend of their mother's. He ushered them in and immediately began asking their mother what she wanted for their dresses. She showed him pictures of dresses she liked, and told him about the color scheme of the wedding. He went straight to work, drawing up dress designs right there and putting different colors of fabric up to both Ashley and Sharpay's faces. He also took each of their measurements.

"I love them!" their mother said, delighted when the designer showed her the final design of the dresses. "They will go perfectly with the dress you designed for me." She scheduled their next appointment, when Sharpay and Ashley would try on their dresses and any alterations would be made.

Ashley groaned inwardly, realizing just how much time this ceremony planning would take up. When she got home later that evening she ate dinner and went to bed, tired from shopping all day.

This process continued for many weeks. The entire family was caught up in plans for the ceremony. Ashley rarely found time to call Chad, let alone see him. She finally got a break when her parents had to meet with the wedding planner together and the three kids were left at home. Ashley immediately called Chad and they made plans to get together. A little bit later Chad picked her up, and Ashley smiled at just seeing him again.

"It's nice to see you again," Chad said. "How long has it been now?"

"You know I would much rather spend time with you than with my family planning this ceremony."

"I know. So are you ready to go?" She nodded and they got in his car. He drove her back to his house where they watched a movie. Chad let her choose, and she picked _The Good Shepherd_. Chad told her it had something to do with the CIA, and she thought it sounded interesting. She sat on the couch next to him and hoped the movie would be good. Thirty minutes later, both were sleeping soundly on the couch, Ashley leaning into Chad and his arm around her.

Ashley woke up a few hours later when Chad moved. His mother was waking him up and telling him he had a phone call. Chad took the phone from her.

"Hello?"

"Chad, is Ashley with you?" Ryan asked on the other end.

"Yeah. Why'd you call my house?"

"Because neither of you answered your cell phones and it's just past midnight. What have you two been doing?"

"Nothing. We started watching a movie and fell asleep. Sorry, I'll bring her home." Chad hung up and looked at Ashley.

"I know, I heard," she told him. "That movie wasn't very interesting." Chad laughed and grabbed his keys from the coffee table. He brought Ashley home and left after giving her a goodnight kiss in the car. He didn't want to walk her to the door and risk getting a talk from a family member.

Ashley went inside and walked right into her parents. They asked where she'd been and what she'd been doing to be out so late. She explained what happened, easing her parents' minds. They accepted her apology and let her go without a punishment. She went straight to bed, knowing the next day would start the next stage in the wedding vow renewal ceremony process.

Ashley was unable to get away from her family for the remainder of the time before the ceremony. Her dress was finished, her shoes picked out, her hair styling appointment set, and the photographer hired. Everything was ready.

---------

The day of the ceremony dawned cloudy and wet. Her parents were upset that it was raining on their special day, but they made the best of it. The whole family got dressed and drove over to the church where the wedding vow renewal ceremony would take place.

Ashley wore her pale pink bridesmaid dress, with spaghetti straps, a strip of fabric sewn across the front on the top, the dress falling to her ankles and flaring out ever so slightly. She had on her four inch matching heels, with buckles that sat at her ankles. Her hair was swept up in a soft looking bun, with a few wisps of hair escaping and several small ringlets falling from the bottom of the bun and ending at the nape of her neck.

Sharpay wore a duplicate outfit and Ryan wore a black tuxedo to match his father. Their mother wore a white gown, strapless and form fitting and flowing behind her. She wore no veil because she was already married, just renewing her vows. Mr. Evans wore a white rose in the breast pocket of his black tuxedo.

All the guests had arrived for the ceremony, including Sharpay, Ryan, and Ashley's friends. A few minutes before the ceremony started, Ashley stole a glance from behind a door, trying to find Chad in the crowd. Sharpay pulled her back because they were due to walk down the aisle in a few seconds. They hurried over and joined Ryan. He held one of them on each arm, Sharpay on his left, Ashley on his right. The music started and the three made their way down the aisle. When they reached the end, the girls went to the left and Ryan joined their father on the right. Then the music changed and their mother walked down the aisle by herself.

The ceremony went smoothly. They renewed their vows and kissed at the end. Together they walked down the aisle, followed by their children. Once they were out of the sanctuary, they formed a line so all the guests could congratulate them. The three kids came first and the couple last. When Chad walked through the line, he gave Ashley a quick peck on the cheek before continuing on and politely congratulating Mr. and Mrs. Evans.

From the church everyone dashed through the rain to the giant tent set up outside for the reception. The Evans family sat together at the table of honor. Dancing started soon after, regardless of everyone still getting their refreshments. Ashley danced one dance with her father, but then Chad grabbed her for the next dance. After that dance ended, he pulled her outside the tent.

"You look beautiful," he told her.

"You look quite dashing yourself," she told him. He wore a white jacket over a white dress shirt and black pants.

"Why thank you; although this rain probably isn't good for the suit."

"Who cares," Ashley told him. She stepped fully out into the rain and began spinning in circles. "I love dancing in the rain!"

Chad watched her for a minute before walking over and picking her up bridal style and spinning her around himself. They both laughed, enjoying the feel of the rain cooling their skin. They stopped spinning and Chad gently placed her back on the ground. Ashley's dress stuck to her body, soaking wet. Chad placed one hand on her cheek and drew her in for a kiss. The kiss deepened after a few minutes, but ended several minutes later. They remained silent, not sure what to say and not wanting to ruin the moment. They were brought back to reality when they heard a glass being tapped by a piece of silverware in preparation for the toasts.

"I guess we should head back in," Chad said.

"Yeah, probably. But promise me one thing first."

"What?"

"You won't leave me even when things get rough. Promise me we'll work through them." Chad smiled.

"I wouldn't leave you for anything." He kissed her again, and then they walked back inside, holding hands.


End file.
